WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in  (a) September and  (b) October 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has not spent any money on ministerial hospitality in September or October 2010.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether the Government Equalities Office has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office and its Board will use existing processes to monitor the Government Equalities Office expenditure and the effects of reductions in its budget following the spending review.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in the settlement letter for the Government Equalities Office in respect of the comprehensive spending review.

Lynne Featherstone: The settlement letter relating to the Government Equalities Office did not identify funding specifically to meet staff redundancy costs.

Departmental Redundancy

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many staff of the Government Equalities Office have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has not offered any enhanced early retirement packages over the past three years.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate the Government Equalities Office has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken by  (a) her and  (b) each other Minister in the Office in (i) September and (ii) October 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has not spent any money on ministerial travel during September or October 2010.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas companies designated as breeding and supply establishments to supply non-human primates to the UK for the purposes of scientific research wean infant primates from their mothers at six months or younger.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has no jurisdiction or remit to designate or approve overseas breeding and supplying centres. The use of non-human primates from an overseas source in regulated procedures is authorised only when the centre in question has demonstrated that animals bred and supplied to licensees in the United Kingdom will have been weaned at more than six months of age except in rare cases where infants have been either abandoned or orphaned.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will consider implementing a ban on the import of  (a) all primates for the purposes of scientific research,  (b) the offspring of wild-caught primates and  (c) primates from establishments that trap wild monkeys for breeding purposes.

Lynne Featherstone: I have no plans to do so. However European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 20 October 2010, which must be implemented in United Kingdom legislation from 1 January 2013, contains proposed time scales for a move towards the use of F2 non-human primates or animals sourced from self-sustaining colonies.
	A detailed assessment of the provisions of the new directive is under way and will in due course be included in a public consultation on options for transposition.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department  (a) how many and  (b) what species of non-human primates imported for the purposes of scientific research were categorised as (i) captive-born (or F1 generation) and (ii) captive-bred (F2+ generation) in (A) 2009 and (B) 2010.  [Official Report, 9 November 2010, Vol. 518, c. 9MC.]

Lynne Featherstone: Although the information currently submitted to the Home Office following the acquisition of each batch of non-human primates provides evidence that animals have been born in captivity, there is currently no requirement for the records to indicate whether animals are F1 or F2+. However, from the information available we estimate the respective totals to be as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of imported captive-born (or F1 generation) and captive-bred (F2+ generation) non-human primates 
			   F1  F2 
			  2009   
			 Common marmoset 0 100 
			 Rhesus macaque 0 44 
			 Cynomolgus macaque 1,257 958 
			
			  2010 (reported to date)   
			 Common marmoset 0 0 
			 Rhesus macaque 0 40 
			 Cynomolgus macaque 970 545

Animal Experiments: Primates

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on the importation to the UK for the purposes of scientific research of  (a) the offspring of wild-caught primates and  (b) non-human primates from establishments that trap wild monkeys for breeding purposes.

Lynne Featherstone: Within current policy the use of non-human primates from an overseas source in regulated procedures is authorised only when the centre in question has demonstrated that it provides appropriate standards of housing and care for animals likely to be bred and supplied to licensees in the United Kingdom. Where applicable, the breeding centre should also have a policy of reducing dependence on wild-caught animals for future breeding stock at least in relation to the animals likely to be bred and supplied to the UK. The number of wild-caught animals introduced into the colony for breeding should be in accordance with restrictions imposed by the relevant national authority. Where the breeding centre is capturing wild or feral primates it should have a clearly defined and effective process for ensuring that any person trapping primates is adequately trained and supervised in humane methods of capture.

Entry Clearances

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government has opted in to  (a) the EU Directive establishing the conditions of entry and residence of third country nationals entering the EU through an intra-company transfer and  (b) the EU Directive on conditions of entry and residence of third country nationals for the purpose of seasonal employment.

Damian Green: The UK has not opted in to either of these EU Directives.

EU Blue Card: Engineers

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the merits of implementing the EU Blue Card scheme for engineers and IT technicians.

Damian Green: holding answer 2 November 2010
	The UK has not opted into the EU Blue Card scheme and has no plans to do so. Engineers and IT technicians may apply to work in the UK under our Points-Based System.

Foreign Nationals: Prisoners

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to remove from the UK foreign prisoners held in the prison estate under immigration powers after completion of their sentences; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency makes every effort to ensure that a person's removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with his/her release from prison on completion of sentence. Where sentence length allows, the UK Border Agency will consider deportation up to 18 months prior to the earliest point of removal.
	Foreign nationals who are served with a deportation notice have the right of appeal against the decision before the courts.
	Deportation can be delayed in a number of ways. Judicial challenge can be used as a means to frustrate removal. This is being tackled through improved legal and case working in the UK Border Agency and closer co-operation with the judiciary.
	There may be delays in deportation if foreign national prisoners do not fully co-operate with the documentation process. Failing to answer questions or providing false information will prevent or delay the UK Border Agency obtaining a travel document to facilitate their removal. Where there are difficulties in obtaining travel documents these issues are taken up directly with the relevant embassy or high commission.
	The Government are committed to exploring ways of removing these individuals even earlier. This will include working with the prisons, courts and the police to build on our capacity to gather intelligence information on nationality at an earlier stage.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the title is of the official in her Department who has lead responsibility for human trafficking policy.

Damian Green: Policy responsibility for human trafficking rests with the Organised and Financial Crime Unit in the Home Office which is headed by a deputy director.

Identity Cards

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the saving to the Exchequer arising from her decision not to introduce compulsory identity cards in each of the next five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 It is estimated that exchequer savings of approximately £86 million will be realised from cancelling ID cards and the National Identity Register over the next four years.

Immigration Controls: Foreign Workers

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on the effect on economic growth of a permanent cap on the number of immigrant workers.

Theresa May: I have not discussed with the Office for Budget Responsibility the impact of a migration limit on growth, but Home Office officials are currently assessing the potential impacts in liaison and consultation with other Government Departments.

Immigration: Detainees

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to accelerate the decision-making process for immigrants being held in detention centres.

Damian Green: Detention is important in ensuring that those who do not have a basis to remain in the United Kingdom can be removed from the UK expeditiously once their case is decided. We always prefer that people leave the UK voluntarily rather than have their return enforced but if this option is refused then it will become necessary to enforce removal including the arrest and detention of those who refuse to comply. The agency is committed to making faster decisions that are right first time but is also committed to ensuring that speed is balanced with quality.

Immigration: Pakistan

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future consideration of immigration applications from students and others who have been affected by the recent floods in Pakistan.

Damian Green: We will continue to assess visa applications from Pakistan against the immigration rules. We will take into account any compelling compassionate circumstances when assessing individual visa applications, but we do not intend to relax the requirements.

Immigration: Research

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the likely effects of the proposed immigration cap on (i) academic, scientific and technological research and (ii) high-technology industry.

Damian Green: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 We have made it clear that we want to continue attracting the brightest and the best to the UK. As part of this commitment, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary launched a consultation over the summer to ensure that we gathered a wide range of views and evidence, before announcing our plans for the first full annual limit. The consultation is now closed and we have received a high volume of responses which are being carefully assessed. The Government will announce its decisions in due course.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letters of 4 August and 29 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, on a constituent, Mr S Deleay.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 I wrote to my hon. Friend on 4 November 2010.

Slavery

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department took to mark Anti-Slavery Day 2010; and what guidance her Department provided to other Government departments on marking that day.

Damian Green: holding answer 27 October 2010
	 Anti-Slavery Day provides an excellent focal point around which the voluntary sector can raise awareness of human trafficking as a problem and their work to help combat it.
	In the light of this, on 18 October I visited Stop the Traffik to hear about and discuss their work in establishing community groups throughout the United Kingdom aimed at actively raising awareness of the dangers of human trafficking.
	In addition to this the UK Border Agency published updated guidance on trafficking and its revised guidance for competent authorities.

Vetting

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress she has made on reviewing the effectiveness of the vetting and barring scheme as a means of protecting children and vulnerable adults; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 22 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 77-78WS.

Visas: Pakistan

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Pakistani citizens were refused visas  (a) by her Department's Abu Dhabi office in the 12 months since the opening of that office and  (b) in the 12 months four years prior to that date.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's Visa Section in Abu Dhabi assumed responsibility for processing all non-settlement visa applications lodged in Pakistan on 1 November 2008. In the 12 months to 31 October 2009, a total of 40,612 visa applications from Pakistani nationals were refused at the visa section.
	The number of visa applications from Pakistani nationals that were refused at the visa section in Abu Dhabi in the each of the four years prior to 1 November 2008 is shown in the following table. The vast majority of these applications would have been lodged by Pakistani nationals resident in United Arab Emirates. Applications from those resident in Pakistan were processed in Islamabad.
	
		
			  As at November to October  Number 
			 2004- 05 768 
			 2005- 06 762 
			 2006- 07 799 
			 2007- 08 444

HEALTH

Cancer: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on his Department's review of the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidance on improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: A review of progress undertaken by the National Cancer Action Team (NCAT) in January 2010 showed that one cancer network out of 28 had fully implemented the guidance. Of the 10 key priority areas, two had been implemented across all the networks and varying degrees of progress was reported in the remaining areas.
	The two priority areas that have been implemented across all cancer networks are: for all multidisciplinary team staff to attend advanced communication skills training; and to have mechanisms in place to ensure that the views of patients and carers are taken into account in developing and evaluating cancer and palliative care services.
	A full report on the review of progress undertaken in January, together with an update on the progress made since that evaluation, is scheduled to be published by the end of December.
	Since the publication of the Improving Outcomes Guidance (IOG) on Supportive and Palliative Care, other strategies have been published, such as the End of Life Care Strategy, which have overtaken the IOG. NCAT will therefore not provide any further detailed monitoring of the implementation of this IOG.
	We are currently undertaking a review of the Cancer Reform Strategy to set the direction for cancer services for the next five years. The updated strategy, to be published in the winter, will set out the future direction for cancer services, including the future direction for the monitoring of IOGs.

Care Homes: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which residential care homes have been subject to enforced closure by the Care Quality Commission since the Commission was established.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. It has a range of enforcement powers in relation to the registration of providers, including (in the most serious cases) closure of services.
	The Care Quality Commission has provided the following information.
	The registration of eight care home providers has been subject to enforced cancellation by the Commission since it became operational on 1 April 2009. One of these was an urgent cancellation under section 20 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These are:
	16 Burghley Road, London, NW5 1UE
	Kenilworth Residential Home, 13-14 Linton Road, Hastings, TN34 1TW
	Mervyn Lodge, 33 Ashby Road, DE15 OLQ
	Carleton House, 33 St Lawrence Avenue, Worthing, BN14 7JJ
	Glen Eden, 45 Richmond Road, Worthing, BN11 4AF
	Forest View Nursing Home, 100-104 West Coker Road, Yeovil, BA20 2JG
	Sherwood Lodge, 42 - 44 Stuart Road, Gillingham, ME7 4AD
	Ollerton Manor Care Home, Wellow Road, Newark, NG22 9AH(1)
	(1) Closed under section 20 of the Care Standards Act 2000.

Community Hospitals

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the role of community hospitals in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Community hospitals provide a vital community resource to support patients in need of rehabilitation and recuperation, preventing unnecessary admissions to hospitals and supporting a rapid return to independence and good health.
	The Government are committed to helping the national health service work better by extending best practise on improving discharge from acute hospital and increasing access to care and treatment in the community.
	Under our proposals for new commissioning arrangements, general practitioners rather than primary care trust managers will decide how to use NHS resources to get the best health care and outcomes for their patients.

Dental Services

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next plans to review his Department's document Best Practice HTM 01-05 on dental surgeries; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of decontamination practices in dental surgeries.

Simon Burns: The Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-05 is a living document and the Department has made a commitment to update it to reflect new evidence as this becomes available. Further, a commitment has been made review the entire document within two years of publication. Dental practices are required within essential quality requirements to have a plan in place to demonstrate how they will achieve best practice. The primary aim of the HTM 01-05 is to encourage practices to meet essential quality requirements and to encourage further progression and improvement.
	The Department, in partnership with the Health Protection Agency and the national health service, has recently completed a Dental National Decontamination Survey, the principal aim of which is to establish a baseline of the quality of local decontamination in dental practices against the requirements in the HTM 01-05. A provisional report is expected in the next few weeks.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Department (excluding its agency-the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) spent £415,686.88 on overseas visits by senior officials in the financial year 2009-10. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code.
	Details of business expenses (included in the total above) and hospitality received for the Department's directors general and above are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/Ministersand DepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people under the age of  (a) 18 and  (b) 16 years who are in abstinence-based rehabilitative treatment; and how many people in each age group were placed in such treatment in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Sarah Teather: I have been asked to reply.
	The overall aim of all substance misuse treatment for young people is abstinence from their problem drug or alcohol use. Young people's substance misuse is markedly different to that of adults, and so is the combination of treatment and support they receive. Most receive psychosocial treatment-talking therapies to change behaviour and address the causes of drug or alcohol misuse. The aim is to reduce or stop completely the young person's use.
	24,053 young people under the age of 18 were in treatment for drug or alcohol misuse in 2008-09. Of these, 11,259 were under the age of 16. These are the most recent figures available.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the outcome of his Department's randomised injectable opiate treatment trials.

Anne Milton: Any approach that helps people get off drugs for good should be explored. The results of the randomised injectable opiate treatment trial were reported in  T he Lancet on 28 May 2010. The report concluded that in this group of entrenched users who had not responded to other forms of treatment, treatment with supervised injectable heroin leads to significantly lower use of street heroin than does supervised injectable methadone or optimised oral methadone.
	In the light of these results, we have asked the Institute of Psychiatry's National Addiction Centre to carry out further work in order to explore:
	how to deliver a low-volume service such that it is accessible to a population which is relatively thinly-spread, given that patients need to travel to the clinic twice daily;
	the commissioning procedures appropriate to a service with these constraints;
	how referral pathways should operate; and
	the case management that is necessary to ensure that people progress as appropriate to less intensive treatment once they are stabilised.
	We will shortly be publishing a new drug strategy, which will set out a new approach and greater ambition to tackling drugs dependency. It will set out an ambition for a recovery focused system that is locally led and supports individuals to tackle and overcome their dependency, reduce the harm to themselves, their families and the wider community, and make a positive contribution to society. It will encourage local areas to deliver against these outcomes drawing on the evidence of what works.

Health Services

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients were placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway in each year since 2004; and what proportion of such patients died in each such year;
	(2)  which hospitals have introduced the Liverpool Care Pathway in each year since 2004; how many patients in each such hospital were placed on the Pathway in each such year; and how many patients in each hospital placed on the Pathway died in each such year.

Paul Burstow: The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) was developed by the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool. It is an established and respected tool used to support care in the last hours or days of life. Its purpose is to prevent dying patients from the distress of receiving treatment or tests that are no longer beneficial, while ensuring that they receive appropriate interventions, including medication, to control their symptoms.
	The Department does not collect information centrally about the numbers of patients being treated on the LCP, nor the numbers of hospitals who have introduced the LCP as a possible option for treating patients.

Meat Hygiene Service

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of reviewing the  (a) responsibilities and  (b) efficiency of the Meat Hygiene Service following its transfer to the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for delivering official controls in all approved fresh meat establishments in Great Britain under EC Regulation 854/2004. It is not within the remit of the FSA to review its delivery responsibilities under this legislation.
	In 2007 the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) implemented a number of efficiency programmes. As a result of these programmes the cost of delivering meat official controls in Great Britain has reduced significantly from £91.3 million in 2006-07 to £68.1 million at the end of 2009-10, and in Northern Ireland has reduced from £7.1 million in 2007-08 to £6.6 million at the end of 2009-10. Further savings of £0.6 million from the creation of the FSA's Integrated Corporate Services will be attributed to corporate support for meat official controls. Following the merger with the MHS, the FSA has launched an Operations Programme to review all official controls delivered on behalf of the FSA to maximise its efficiency and effectiveness.

Medicine: Education

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of graduates of medical schools in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009 emigrated in the year following completion of their degree.

Anne Milton: There data are not collected centrally.

Soft Drinks

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made on the effect of high energy drinks on the health of  (a) young children and  (b) others; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department has not made any specific assessment on the effects of high energy drinks. Based on expert advice from the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy, we recommend that the intake of non-milk extrinsic sugars i.e. those added to food should not exceed 60g/day or 11% of food energy.
	Government advice discourages giving babies sugary drinks and food, and older children and families are encouraged to substitute sugary drinks with water, milk (ideally semi-skimmed), sugar free drinks, sugar free squash, or unsweetened fruit juice.

Streptococcus: Health Services

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made for benchmarking purposes of best practice in the treatment of group B streptococcal infections in other EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The treatment of group B streptococcal infection is a matter for clinicians and should be in line with evidence-based clinical guidance such as those published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence or in this case the Green Top guideline published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in November 2003. This guidance can be found on the RCOG website at:
	www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/GT36GroupBStrep2003.pdf
	The Department does not undertake benchmarking of best practice in clinical treatment.

JUSTICE

Courts: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to review the provision of court services in Warrington.

Jonathan Djanogly: On 23 June, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor announced proposals on the future provision of courts services across England and Wales. The consultation paper for the HMCS area of Cheshire and Merseyside, which can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-cp03-10.htm
	did not contain proposals concerning courts in Warrington, except that should Runcorn county court close, Warrington county court would potentially need to increase its sitting days to absorb Runcorn's hearings, which it has the capacity to do. Runcorn county court is a civil hearing centre only with all its administrative work handled at Warrington.
	The consultation closed on 15 September and we aim to announce decisions by the end of the year. There are no plans at present to further review the provision of court services in Warrington.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice routinely monitors its expenditure and the outputs resulting from that spending and publishes this information on a regular basis, such as through published accounts, annual reports, impact assessments and a wide range of statistical and research publications.

Family Courts: Offenders

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people serving a custodial sentence could not be identified in the media because of an injunction by the Family Court in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information on the number of people serving a custodial sentence who cannot be identified because of an injunction made by the Family Court is not available centrally. This information can be obtained only by inspection of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Legal Services Commission: Social Workers

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the proposals of the Legal Services Commission to cap the fees payable to independent social workers appearing as expert witnesses in family courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: This change was consulted on as part of the joint Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Legal Services Commission (LSC) consultation, "Family Legal Aid Funding from 2010" which took place between December 2008 and April 2009. Following the full public consultation, it was confirmed in the consultation response that payment for legally aided independent social work in public and private law children cases would be capped to the same level as that paid by the Children and Family Court Advisory Service (CAFCASS). The consultation response was published on 21 October 2009 and is available on the LSC website at:
	https://consult.legalservices.gov.uk/inovem/consult.ti/FamilyFees2008/listdocuments
	Although both the LSC and the MOJ have continued to receive additional representations from independent social workers about the change, it is considered that it is not an effective use of public money for the LSC to pay higher rates than those set by CAFCASS.

Proceeds of Crime

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the  (a) cost to the public purse of receivers and  (b) amount recovered through confiscation orders brought about by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Receivers fees are paid from the amounts recovered from criminals, therefore no amount is paid from the public purse. However, prior to 1 October 2010, prosecution agencies had to pay indemnities to the receivers if the amount collected was less than their fees. For example, the CPS paid £112,333 during 2008-09 and £29,875 during 2009-10. Following the new procurement process for receivers that came into effect on 1 October 2010, the contract no longer includes indemnities for receivers, therefore no receivers fees will be paid from the public purse.
	HMCS pays all receivers fees. The following table records how much has been paid on a regional basis during the last two financial years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  HMCS region  2008-09  2009-10 
			 London 632,210 984,624 
			 Midlands 366,362 719,451 
			 North East 197,986 91,806 
			 North West 359,781 443,248 
			 South East 886,742 393,371 
			 South West 212,872 151,523 
			 Wales 252,739 316,180 
			 Total 2,908,692 3,100,203 
		
	
	For the period 2004-05 to 2009-10 a total of £233.4 million has been recovered using confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act, of which £25.7 million has been returned to the victims of crime.
	For the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 October 2010, a total of £42 million has been recovered using the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation, of which £7.7 million has been returned to the victims of crime.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Compensation to the victims of crime  Total amount recovered, including compensation and receivers' fees 
			 2004-05 533,913 6,664,423 
			 2005-06 861,011 18,578,401 
			 2006-07 2,833,007 29,930,819 
			 2007-08 4,735,859 52,779,042 
			 2008-09 6,955,176 61,483,968 
			 2009-10 9,782,640 63,984,361 
			 Total 25,701,606 233,421,014 
		
	
	This data was extracted from the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD), as at 1 November 2010. No central database was present prior to 2004-05, so prior data are unavailable.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 41-43W, on sentencing, for what categories of offence those with 15 or more convictions who did not receive an immediate custodial sentence had been convicted; and how many such offenders had received  (a) between 16 and 25,  (b) between 26 and 50,  (c) between 51 and 75,  (d) between 76 and 100 and  (e) 101 or more convictions.

Crispin Blunt: Table 1 shows offence categories for offenders with 15 or more convictions or cautions who did not receive an immediate custodial sentence. Table 2 shows the number of offenders who were sentenced for indictable offences by number of previous convictions and cautions. These figures are derived from table 6.2 of 'Sentencing Statistics: England and Wales 2009' which was published on 21 October 2010. The published table gives a breakdown of offenders sentenced by number of previous convictions and cautions, and the same basis has been used for this answer.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offenders with 15 or more convictions or cautions who did not receive an immediate custodial sentence for an indictable offence by offence category, England and Wales, 2007-09 
			  Number of offenders 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 Violence against the person 4,036 4,257 4,677 
			 Sexual offences 112 130 111 
			 Burglary 3,018 3,172 2,980 
			 Robbery 81 122 100 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 24,825 29,025 31,289 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,131 1,195 1,232 
			 Criminal damage 1,119 1,040 1,018 
			 Drug offences 6,606 8,061 9,205 
			 Indictable motoring offences 204 188 169 
			 Other indictable offences 6,517 6,307 5,890 
			 Total 47,649 53,497 56,671 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offenders who were sentenced for indictable offences by number of previous convictions and cautions, England and Wales, 2007-09 
			  Number and percentage of offenders 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			  Number of offenders sentenced
			 0 to 15 previous convictions/cautions 240,032 242,477 238,091 
			 16 to 25 previous convictions/cautions 42,032 45,742 44,772 
			 26 to 50 previous convictions/cautions 27,761 32,792 34,068 
			 51 to 75 previous convictions/cautions 2,911 3,677 4,389 
			 76 to 100 previous convictions/cautions 624 824 817 
			 101 or more previous convictions/cautions 478 644 747 
			 All offenders 313,838 326,156 322,884 
			 
			  Number of offenders who do not receive an immediate custodial sentence
			 0 to15 previous convictions/cautions 185,382 184,983 184,263 
			 16 to 25 previous convictions/cautions 25,287 27,504 28,105 
			 26 to 50 previous convictions/cautions 16,367 19,180 20,913 
			 51 to 75 previous convictions/cautions 1,605 2,091 2,660 
			 76 to 100 previous convictions/cautions 334 445 455 
			 101 or more previous convictions/cautions 243 340 385 
			 All offenders 229,218 234,543 236,781 
			 
			  Percentage of offenders who do not receive an immediate custodial sentence
			 0 to 15 previous convictions/cautions 77.2 76.3 77.4 
			 16 to 25 previous convictions/cautions 60.2 60.1 62.8 
			 26 to 50 previous convictions/cautions 59.0 58.5 61.4 
			 51 to 75 previous convictions/cautions 55.1 56.9 60.6 
			 76 to 100 previous convictions/cautions 53.5 54.0 55.7 
			 101 or more previous convictions/cautions 50.8 52.8 51.5 
			 All offenders 73.0 71.9 73.3 
		
	
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Education Service

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 176-7W, on the Parliamentary Education Service, for what reasons the House of Commons Commission did not accept recommendation 4 of the report of the Speaker's Conference on parliamentary representation.

Stuart Bell: Recommendation 4 of the report of the Speaker's Conference on parliamentary representation recommended that the objectives of the Parliamentary Education Service should in future include encouraging a wider range of people to become candidates for election to Parliament.
	The objectives of the Education Service do not need to be changed as encouraging a wider range of people to become candidates, alongside encouraging other forms of democratic engagement, can already be effected under existing objectives. The answer given on 26 October highlighted the MP for a week game and the UK Youth Parliament as examples where this is done directly. There are many other examples, such as the Speaker's Schools Council awards scheme, where Parliament's Education Service helps a wide range of young people to acquire a taste for being elected representatives, encouraging them onto a path which may lead towards becoming candidates for election to Parliament.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to take steps to ensure the take-up of the Green Deal in respect of service family accommodation.

Gregory Barker: In developing the Green Deal, which is to be introduced in 2012, we will work to ensure that all households are eligible to take up offers which can increase the energy efficiency of their homes.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the merits of transferring responsibility for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary to the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Charles Hendry: The Department has policy responsibility for the security of the UK's civil nuclear industry, and this includes responsibility for the Civil Nuclear Police Authority and Civil Nuclear Constabulary. The Department's responsibility for the safety of civil nuclear power stations in the UK, and for ensuring the security and resilience of the energy sector as a whole, means that DECC is best placed to effectively discharge Government's responsibility for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. The Department keeps the arrangements for security in the civil nuclear industry under continuous review to ensure they are robust and effective, and works closely with other Departments with an interest in security issues, including the Home Office.
	My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary are both members of the National Security Council (NSC) that was established on 12 May by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and has been tasked with overseeing all issues related to national security, intelligence co-ordination, and defence strategy, and of its nuclear sub-committee, NSC(N). This structure ensures that important security issues can be considered by all relevant Ministers from across Government.

Climate Change: Carbon Emissions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress his Department has made on the reduction of UK climate change emissions.

Gregory Barker: Latest provisional statistics indicate that the UK's greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by just over 24% against 1990 levels by 2009(1), taking into account the effects of emissions trading. Final emissions data for 2009 will be published in February 2011. Further information can be found in the independent Committee on Climate Change's latest annual report on progress towards meeting our carbon budgets, published on 30 June, and the Government's response (published 14 October 2010). Both publications are available in the Libraries of the House.
	(1) Source:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/climate_change/332-1990-2009-provisional-progress-data.pdf

Liquid Petroleum Gas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the net length of time micro-combined heat and power technology fuelled by  (a) gas and (b) liquefied petroleum gas can contribute to carbon dioxide emission reduction in respect of an energy generation system decarbonising over time.

Gregory Barker: This issue was raised in consultation as part of the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy consultation. The analysis of responses in September 2009 indicated that there was no clear answer to the question of the degree to which combined heat and power powered by fossil fuel will be less advantageous as electricity generation overall becomes less carbon intensive, because this is likely to depend on a range of factors, particularly the overall energy mix, carbon intensity, and the nature of infrastructure and design. It will also depend on the kind of heating system the micro-CHP unit is replacing.
	The Department has published guidance on its website on how to value energy use and greenhouse gas emissions over time for the purposes of business cases and impact assessment. This includes assumptions about the rate of decarbonisation of the electricity generation system. The Committee on Climate Change has also carried out modelling work in this area.

Liquid Petroleum Gas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of including schemes for micro-combined heat and power technology fuelled by  (a) gas and  (b) liquefied petroleum gas in the proposed Green Deal; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: It is intended that a range of energy saving measures, which are expected to pay for themselves over a set period of time through savings on energy bills, will qualify for green deal finance under the Green Deal for businesses. Decisions on the specific measures and technologies which will be eligible for green deal finance will be taken in due course.

Nuclear Fuels: Transport

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for the Home Department an increase in the level of security provided for the transport of nuclear materials by train through densely populated residential areas in the West Midlands.

Charles Hendry: The Department has policy responsibility for the security of the UK's civil nuclear industry, which includes the security of nuclear material in transit. Regulation in this area reflects the UK's international obligations and best practice, and is enforced by the independent security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS). The Department keeps the arrangements for the security of the transportation of civil nuclear material under continuous review to ensure they are robust and effective, and works closely with other Departments with an interest in security issues, including the Home Office.
	My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary are both members of the National Security Council (NSC) that was established on 12 May by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and has been tasked with overseeing all issues related to national security, intelligence co-ordination, and defence strategy, and of its nuclear sub-committee, NSC(N). This structure ensures that important security issues can be considered by all relevant Ministers from across Government.

Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Gregory Barker: DECC will shortly publish a Business Plan which will contain information on the Department's priorities over the next four years and includes information about areas that are no longer priorities. Further, the Business Plan will provide indicators that can be used to monitor DECC's performance on both delivery and costs.
	It is also the case that the Treasury published an Equality Impact Assessment of the spending review, detailing the impact of the cuts on specific groups within society. DECC will continue to ensure that the decisions it makes are fair by undertaking Equality Impact Assessments on its policies.

Wind and Nuclear Power

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost is of a unit of energy generated through  (a) wind power and  (b) nuclear power.

Charles Hendry: The table, which will be placed in the Library, is taken from Mott Macdonald (2010) and gives levelised cost estimates (average generation cost per megawatt-hour) for new build plants in the main large-scale electricity generation technologies in the UK, including onshore wind, offshore wind and nuclear, at current engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract prices, and is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/Projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-.pdf
	It should be noted that for the purposes of presentation, the table only gives either "FOAK" (first-of-a-kind) prices or "NOAK" (nth-of-a-kind) prices for each technology.
	As new technologies are deployed it is likely that costs will fall due to learning. The second table, also being placed in the Library, sets out the estimated levelised costs for projects started in 2017 with the assumption that all technologies have reached "nth of a kind" status. It shows the expectation that new nuclear will cost approximately £68/MWh. Offshore wind and onshore wind are estimated to cost approximately £112/MWh and £86/MWh respectively.
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers, meaning that there is significant uncertainty around these estimates.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Competitiveness

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to assist the farming industry to become more competitive.

James Paice: In England we are encouraging the farming industry to increase its competitiveness through capital investment, skills development, innovation and technical progress.
	We are also identifying ways to reduce the regulatory burden through the Task Force on Farm Regulation, pushing for CAP reform to improve the industry's ability to respond to consumer demand, providing rural development grants, funding research into efficient food production and working with industry on skill development and climate change issues.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on levels of financial support for farming from the public purse of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

James Paice: As the vast majority of the over £3 billion of payments made each year to UK farmers are direct payments made under Pillar 1 of the EU common agriculture policy, we do not anticipate that the spending review will have a significant effect on levels of financial support for farming. Expenditure on the Rural Development Programme for England will be maintained over the spending review period.

Common Agricultural Policy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made in negotiations on reform of the common agricultural policy; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Spelman: The UK is committed to ambitious reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) that delivers good value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment. A future CAP must enable a sustainable, thriving and competitive EU agriculture and food sector that is able to rise to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Negotiations on CAP will begin formally in the context of a Communication which we expect to be published by the Commission in November.

Common Fisheries Policy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of progress on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The EU Commission's 2009 Green Paper provides a compelling case for radical reform of the current common fisheries policy: changes that simplify and decentralise fisheries management, enabling those closest to fisheries to plan for the long term, and giving fishermen greater incentive to fish sustainably. We expect the Commission to publish draft proposals next spring.
	We are working with other member states, and interested parties, to build support for reform ahead of negotiations next year.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure that her Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Richard Benyon: The Department is a contributor to the regional development agency single pot. Population data were used as a factor shaping funding allocations to RDAs following spending review 2007 and before. Allocations to RDAs following the conclusion of spending review 2010 will be determined shortly but are likely to be based on the levels of legal commitment and anticipated closure costs.

Flood Control: Finance

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on her Department's budget for flood defences in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Richard Benyon: By March 2015, we will have spent at least £2.1 billion on flood and coastal erosion risk management, and as a result expect to deliver better levels of protection for around 145,000 households.

Forests: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the proposed £100 million funding to international forestry projects announced at the UN Biodiversity conference in Nagoya is to be paid in addition to the commitment made to such projects after the 2009 Copenhagen climate change conference.

James Paice: holding answer 3 November 2010
	The spending review provides £2.9 billion of international climate finance (called the International Climate Fund) over the spending review period. This fully funds, and goes beyond, the £1.5 billion commitment made by the previous Government at Copenhagen for the 'fast start' period (2010-12).
	The ICF will include money for reducing deforestation, building on the £300 million announced for that purpose at Copenhagen. Detailed allocations of the ICF have yet to be finalised, but will include the £100 million for DEFRA, which goes beyond the Copenhagen Commitment, covering the period to 2014-15.
	The ICF is part of the UK's commitment to increase its overseas development assistance to 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2013.

Landfill

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the likely effects of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on the funding available to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Caroline Spelman: We have worked closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to understand cost pressures on local authority waste management over the spending review period and have taken these into account in the overall local government settlement.
	We have significantly increased financial flexibility which will free local authorities to allocate resources to meet their priorities and make continued efficiency savings, while continuing to deliver our overall environmental goals for waste management.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: China

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the Government's programmes to increase trade and tourism between the UK and China of the 100% increase in air passenger duty to come into force on 1 November 2010.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	The increases in air passenger duty that took effect on 1 November were set and legislated by the previous Government. The increase in tax on a flight from London to Beijing is around 5% of the typical economy class return ticket price.
	The coalition Government believes that trade and tourism are hugely beneficial to both the UK and China.

Thameslink: Government Assistance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will continue his Department's subsidy for Thameslink users who are required to use Transport for London services to reach Moorgate station.

Theresa Villiers: Following the closure of the Farringdon-Moorgate branch on 22 March 2009 as part of the Thameslink Programme, through fares to Moorgate were protected for two years from this date. This commitment therefore ends on 21 March 2011.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband: Schools

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring that schools have access to high speed broadband services.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 2 November 2010
	The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring that schools have access to high speed broadband services. Connectivity for schools is the responsibility of Department for Education. Virtually all schools have broadband connectivity already.

Chinese Paper Lanterns

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to regulate the sale and use of Chinese paper lanterns.

Edward Davey: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 We have received no recent representations specifically concerning the safety instructions on sky lanterns.
	However, BIS and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are aware of the broader safety concerns with these products. In August, BIS wrote to local authority trading standards services, asking them to make importers aware that some sky lanterns lacked full instructions, and encouraging them to get manufacturers to address this problem.

Debt Management: Licensing

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many actions the Office of Fair Trading has taken to impose requirements or refuse or revoke licenses held or applied for by debt management businesses under its powers under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 in 2010 to date.

Edward Davey: This year to date the OFT has imposed requirements on three licensees engaged in debt management activities, revoked one licence held by a licensee engaged in debt management activities and refused to grant a licence to one applicant that proposed to engage in debt management activities. The OFT has also made a determination to revoke the licence of one other licensee engaged in debt management activities, which is subject to an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.
	Adjudicators acting on behalf of the OFT also made three determinations favourable to the trader, which resulted in two licensees engaged in debt management activities being permitted to continue to retain their licences and one to be granted a licence. During the adjudication process one licensee engaged in debt management activities surrendered its licence and one applicant for a licence withdrew its application. One further minded to notice is yet to be determined. The OFT has also warned 63 traders about unlicensed trading or failing to adhere to the Debt Management Guidance.
	The primary focus this year has been the OFT's review of compliance with its Debt Management Guidance, which was published on 28 September 2010, and subsequent enforcement action (additional to that detailed above) to warn 129 debt management firms about non-compliant business practices identified during the review. The firms were instructed to produce independently audited evidence confirming action that they have taken to address the identified areas of non-compliance by mid-December 2010. Of the 129 firms, 22 have already surrendered their licences, 92 firms have agreed to comply and the OFT has initiated revocation action against 15 traders, but this may well increase.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in  (a) September and  (b) October 2010.

Edward Davey: There has been no spend on hospitality for events hosted by BIS Ministers during this period The following amounts refer only to costs for refreshments at meetings.
	 (a) September 2010: £38.84 in total.
	 (b) October 2010: £0.

EU Grants and Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the administration of European Regional Development Funding bidding rounds following the closure of regional development agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has had no recent discussions with the European Commission on the administration of European regional development. However, I met with EU Regional Commissioner Johannes Hahn on 28 September to discuss the closure of the regional development agencies and the creation of local enterprise partnerships. The new delivery structure for the European regional development fund in England is planned to be announced at Budget 2011.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 190W, on fossil fuels: export credits guarantees, what definition of dirty fossil-fuel energy production his Department uses.

Edward Davey: ECGD acts in accordance with the OECD Revised Council Recommendation on Common Approaches on the Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits (the Common Approaches) regarding the potential environmental impacts of projects. The Common Approaches states that:
	"Projects are expected to meet the international standards against which they have been benchmarked where these are more stringent than host country standards."
	For new coal-fired power generation projects this would mean compliance with the World Bank Group's Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines for Thermal Power Plants. These EHS Guidelines require emissions to be abated to below set numeric limits for particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. They also provide data on typical carbon dioxide emissions for various combustion technologies/equipment.
	The Common Approaches is currently under review by the OECD Export Credits Group and the UK is exploring with other countries the opportunity for incorporating numeric emissions limits for carbon dioxide.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what legal framework he plans to establish to govern the operations of the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: The Green Investment Bank's legislative requirements, if any, will depend on the nature of its final design. The Government aim to conduct further market testing and to complete their design work by spring 2011.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of establishing the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be initially capitalised with £1 billion of funding allocated from departmental budgets together with additional significant proceeds from the sale of Government-owned assets.
	Government will also incur costs in setting up the GIB, and will provide further information on the quantum of these costs in due course.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to make a decision on the location of the headquarters of the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: Decisions on the location of the Green Investment Bank will be taken in due course. Its final design will be subject to the Government's tests of effectiveness, affordability and transparency. However, we are not anticipating the creation of a large institution with high overheads.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanism he plans to put in place to provide for appointments to the board of the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: Governance arrangements will depend on decisions around the design of the Green Investment Bank.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which  (a) public and  (b) private bodies he expects to contribute funding to projects through the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor's spending review statement of 20 October.
	As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had announced, we will be funding the Green Investment Bank from £1 billion of departmental budgets, as well as from additional significant proceeds from Government's asset sales.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department had with the devolved administrations prior to his announcement of proposals to establish a Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: We are looking to create a Green Investment Bank with powers to invest across the UK. We will engage widely, including with the devolved administrations, as we undertake detailed market testing and design work.

Green Investment Bank

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he commissioned advice from outside his Department when developing proposals for the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: We have worked closely with other Government Departments on the development of these proposals, including the Department for Energy and Climate Change, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, HM Treasury, Department for Transport, Department of Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office and Infrastructure UK.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of  (a) women and  (b) men are studying undergraduate courses in (i) humanities, arts and social science subjects and (ii) science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects at universities in England.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	Humanities, arts and social sciences covers the following subject groups: Social Sciences, Law, Business and Administrative Studies, Mass Communications and Documentation, Languages, Historical and Philosophical Studies, Creative Arts and Design, Education and Combined subjects.
	Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics covers the following subject groups: Medicine and Dentistry, Subjects Allied to Medicine, Biological Sciences, Veterinary Science, Agriculture and Related Subjects, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Architecture, Building and Planning.
	
		
			  Undergraduate enrolments by gender and subject of study: English higher education institutions, academic year 2008/09 
			   Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences( 1)  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics( 2) 
			  Gender  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Female 558,230 62 340,990 38 
			 Male 353,665 54 303,640 46 
			 (1) Covers the following subject groups: Social Sciences, Law, Business and Administrative Studies, Mass Communications and Documentation, Languages, Historical and Philosophical Studies, Creative Arts and Design, Education and Combined subjects. (2) Covers the following subject groups: Medicine and Dentistry, subjects allied to Medicine, Biological Sciences, Veterinary Science, Agriculture and Related Subjects, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Architecture, Building and Planning.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the funding to be made available to local enterprise partnerships in each of the next three years;
	(2)  what potential sources of funding he has identified for local enterprise partnerships other than the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: The availability of funding to support economic growth, including through local enterprise partnerships, is covered in the White Paper on Local Growth. No funding is expected to be allocated specifically for local enterprise partnerships.

Newton Scholarship Programme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future status of the Newton Scholarship Programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: On 17 June the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that a number of unfunded projects would be cancelled or suspended. This included the Newton Scholarships, on which any future decision will now be taken during the detailed allocation process following the recent spending review settlement.

Radio Frequencies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in which calendar year he expects the 800 and 2.6 spectrum auctions to take place.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom will be responsible for the auctioning of this spectrum and they are required to go through a process to do so. I would hope that this process might be concluded by the end of 2011, but it is possible that it could fall into the first half of 2012.

Research Councils

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department allocated to each research council in each year since 2005.

David Willetts: The allocations to each research council in each year since 2005 are set out in the following publications:
	Science Budget Allocations 2005/06 to 2007/08-published in May 2005 by the DTI.
	The Allocations of the Science Budget 2008/09 to 2010/11-published in December 2007 by DIUS.

Small Businesses: Kent

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Maidstone and the Weald constituency.

Mark Prisk: I am pleased to be able to report a number of measures which are being undertaken with the purpose of stimulating growth which are particularly targeting support for small and medium sized enterprises.
	The Government will provide highly focused support to SMEs through a renewed and streamlined portfolio of business improvement products to be launched by this Department in April 2011.
	As the RDAs are decommissioned I will introduce a new and flexible delivery system comprising a national website, a national contact centre and access to mentors. I also intend to establish a network of Growth Hubs in England to support those businesses with high growth potential.
	We are establishing Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as set out in the White Paper. Maidstone and the Weald will be covered by a new LEP for Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex. This will involve local business and civic leaders working together to drive economic growth and create new jobs in their communities.
	In addition, the Government will commit an extra £200 million to Enterprise Capital Funds which enable firms to sell debt in exchange for a stake in the business.
	I also will be working towards removing any qualification barriers that prevent small firms from accessing Government contracts.

Students: Kent

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students educated in Maidstone and the Weald constituency who attended university in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: Figures for higher education entrants who were educated in Maidstone and the Weald are not available. As an alternative, figures for entrants to higher education (HE) who were resident in Maidstone and the Weald have been provided as an alternative.
	The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) relates to the 2008/09 academic year. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	In the 2008/09 academic year, there were 1,190 undergraduate entrants to UK higher education institutions who were resident in Maidstone and the Weald. The Department has recently received updated parliamentary constituency data therefore figures may not match those previously published. Figures for entrants to HE level courses at further education colleges are not available by parliamentary constituency, and are therefore excluded.

University Enterprise Capital Fund

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future status of the University Enterprise Capital Fund; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Government are committed to the continuance of the Enterprise Capital Fund programme that supports investments for the highest growth potential small businesses in the 'equity gap'. The spending review settlement will allow us to commit a further £200 million to new Enterprise Capital Funds over the coming four years. The Government's expert small business investment arm, Capital for Enterprise Ltd, have a pipeline of potential new Enterprise Capital Funds with whom they are in discussion and they anticipate the first of these to be investing early in the new year. There are a number of potential university focussed propositions among that pipeline which will be considered as they come to fruition.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in  (a) September and  (b) October 2010.

David Mundell: Scotland Office expenditure on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   September  October 
			 The Secretary of State for Scotland 22 384.12 
			 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland 0 37.50 
		
	
	All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Reviews

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not undertaken any such departmental policy reviews since 6 May 2010.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken by  (a) him and  (b) each other Minister in his Department in (i) September and (ii) October 2010.

David Mundell: Scotland Office estimated expenditure on travel undertaken by Ministers in September and October 2010 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   September  October 
			 The Secretary of State for Scotland 719.72 894.85 
			 The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland Nil 601.59 
		
	
	All ministerial travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Welfare State: Reform

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the likely effects on people in Scotland of the Government's proposed reductions in welfare expenditure.

Michael Moore: The Government's welfare reforms aim to create a system that supports those who need it, helps people back into work and makes work pay. Details have been laid out in the comprehensive spending review and more information will follow as the Government develop their Work programme.

CABINET OFFICE

Central Office of Information: Redundancy

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many applications the Central Office of Information received for voluntary redundancy in the last two months;
	(2)  what consultation he has undertaken with trade unions on procedures for making compulsory redundancies in the Central Office of Information.

Francis Maude: I have asked the chief executive of the COI to write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 1 November 2010:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question 020602/3 regarding the compulsory redundancy scheme, which was mitigated by the voluntary applications recently undertaken by COI.
	236 applications for voluntary redundancy were received in September and October 2010.
	COI is not aware however of any consultation that has taken place between the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the trade unions regarding this compulsory redundancy scheme.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in  (a) September and  (b) October 2010.

Owen Paterson: The total amount spent was as follows:
	September: £1,283.49
	October: £1,018.03.

WALES

Unemployment

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on transport for unemployed people seeking work in remote rural and valley areas in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend has meetings with Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions about a range of issues relevant to Wales.
	It is an integral part of the role of advisers in Jobcentre Plus to take account of local transport issues when advising unemployed people seeking work on the options available. All claimants should be willing to take employment within a reasonable travel to work area. The local travel to work area is determined by each individual Jobcentre, taking into account the availability of local transport facilities.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in the settlement letter for the Law Officers' Departments in respect of the Comprehensive Spending Review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) their non-departmental public bodies;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Law Officers' Departments of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Edward Garnier: All pressures on Departments' budgets were taken into account as part of the spending review and settlements were allocated accordingly. The full costs of any redundancies will be met from within the Law Officers' Departments' spending review resource DEL settlement. That settlement covers all of the departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible-namely, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Treasury Solicitor's Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, the Attorney-General's Office and the National Fraud Authority.
	Determining optimal work force reforms in order to live within the Law Officers' Departments' spending review resource DEL settlement will be an ongoing process. The Crown Prosecution Service-which represents the most significant share of the Law Officers' Departments' overall budget-has already set out plans to reduce numbers in its headquarters directorates by 50%, and this process has already begun. These reductions are expected to be substantially met by natural wastage but there could be a small number of voluntary redundancies. However, detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies that may be required overall-and the associated costs-have yet to be finalised.

Human Trafficking: Prosecutions

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General in how many prosecutions undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service  (a) a person was charged with offences related to human trafficking and  (b) such charges were reduced to lesser charges in each of the last five years.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service's records show that, in the last five years, the following prosecutions have been brought on charges under sections 57, 58 and 59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, alleging trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, alleging trafficking for other exploitative purposes:
	
		
			   Number of prosecutions 
			 2005-06 18 
			 2006-07 40 
			 2007-08 90 
			 2008-09 124 
			 2009-10 121 
			 2010-11 (1)74 
			 (1) April to September 2010 only 
		
	
	The data relate only to the number of charged offences that reached first hearing in the magistrates courts.
	The CPS holds no records of the number of offences that were subsequently reduced to lesser charges during this period.

TREASURY

Community Investment Tax Relief

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to extend access to community investment tax relief; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Community investment tax relief (CITR) is an approved state aid, with the period of approval running from 2002 to 2012. It has raised funds which have been lent to businesses in or serving disadvantaged areas. As CITR nears the end of its current state aid approval, the Government will review the operation of the scheme and will announce its intentions for the future at the appropriate time.

Crown Lands and Estates: Wind Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to cap payments made by the Crown Estate to the Royal Family in respect of the development of wind farms for the purposes of allocating additional revenue to the  (a) Green Investment Bank and  (b) New Green Deal Fund.

Justine Greening: The Chancellor's statement of 20 October set out that the future payments to the Royal Household will be voted in the Treasury estimate, not made direct by the Crown Estate. Primary legislation to give effect to this decision will be brought forward and debated in due course.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his proposals to pilot a rural fuel discount scheme will include the Isle of Skye.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Katy Clark) on 20 October 2010,  Official Report, column 809W and the hon. Member on 1 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 663-64W.

Personal Income

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) millionaires and  (b) billionaires resident in the UK in each year since 2000; how many people were taxed on the basis of incomes of over £1 million a year before allowances on the latest date for which figures are available; how many were so taxed in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the tax revenue generated from those so taxed in each year.

David Gauke: Estimates of the number of millionaires in the UK by year are given in the following table. Data beyond 2005 are not available due to data quality problems. HMRC is reviewing data in this area, with a view to publishing figures for subsequent years once the quality issues have been resolved.
	
		
			   Number of millionaires (thousand) 
			 2000 220 
			 2001 220 
			 2002 250 
			 2003 220 
			 2004 n/a 
			 2005 390 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The latest estimate (2005) is published in the HMRC Personal Wealth National Statistics Table 13.5:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/13-5-table-2005.xls
	An estimate of the number of billionaires is not available.
	Information on the number of taxpayers with income, subject to income tax, in excess of £1 million for 2007-08 to 2010-11 can be found on the income tax statistics and distribution table 2.5 'Income tax liabilities, by income range' published on HMRC's website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-5.pdf
	Information for earlier years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Taxpayers with income, subject to income tax, in excess of £1 million 
			   Number of taxpayers (thousand)  Total tax liability (£ million) 
			 2000-01 6 4,210 
			 2001-02 5 3,770 
			 2002-03 4 3,160 
			 2003-04 5 3,440 
			 2004-05 6 4,610 
			 2005-06 9 6,590 
			 2006-07 11 8,580 
			  Source: Based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI)

Public Expenditure

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the extent to which each Department has achieved the annual real reduction in administration expenditure agreed with his Department in the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Danny Alexander: Administration budget outturn from 2004-05 to 2008-09, estimated 2009-10 outturn and 2010-11 plans are published in Table 1.5 in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2010, available on the Treasury website.
	The comprehensive spending review 2007 committed to reduce administration budgets by 5% a year in real terms across Departments.
	PESA shows overall annual real reductions in administration budgets of 5% in 2007-08, 3% in 2008-09, 0% in 2009-10 and 6% in 2010-11. Excluding reductions of £356 million in administration budgets made as part of the £6.2 billion in year cuts, plans indicated administration budget real reductions in 2010-11 of 4%.

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what assumption regarding gross domestic product his forecast of deficit as a proportion of GDP contained in the comprehensive spending review is based.

Justine Greening: The Chancellor has established the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to produce the official forecasts of the economy and the public finances.
	The forecast of gross domestic product and the forecast of the deficit (including as a proportion of GDP) contained within the spending review document are the same forecasts as the independent OBR produced for the Government for the Budget 2010 in June.
	As the Chancellor has announced, the OBR will produce a new official forecast on 29 November.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology his Department uses to calculate its estimate of the annual sum lost through fraud in the welfare system.

Justine Greening: The Government's estimates of fraud and error levels in benefits and tax credits are based on survey evidence. Full details of the methodologies are published on the DWP and HMRC websites, alongside the most recent figures.

Tax Rates and Bands: South East

Amber Rudd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with two working individuals in  (a) the South East and  (b) Hastings and Rye constituency have a combined income of over (i) £50,000, (ii) £60,000 and (iii) £70,000.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2008-09 the number of households in  (a) the south-east containing two working adults with a total household income of over (i) £50,000 per annum was 0.7 million (ii) £60,000 per annum was 0.5 million and (iii) £70,000 per annum was 0.3 million.
	Estimates are based on survey data, and only allow for breakdowns to Government office region level, so information for Hastings and Rye is not available.
	 Notes
	1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of approximately 26,000 households.
	2. Data for 2008-09 were collected between April 2008 and March 2009.
	3. The figures are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government office region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	4. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 households.
	5. Work status is based on self-reporting by the respondent to the survey.
	 Source
	The Family Resources Survey 2008-09.

Working Tax Credit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the maximum monetary value of each element of the working tax credit will be if the proposals contained in both the June 2010 Budget and the 2010 Spending Review  (a) are and  (b) are not implemented in 2014-15.

Justine Greening: The Budget and spending review made reforms to the tax credit system to tackle the deficit in a fair way to ensure that tax credits are targeted at those who need them most.
	The following table shows the monetary value of each element of the working tax credit, based on current projections of CPI.
	
		
			  £ 
			  WTC elements  2014-15-after 2010 June Budget and 2010 spending review changes implemented  2014-15-if 2010 June Budget and 2010 spending review changes not implemented 
			 Basic element 2,120 2,180 
			 Second adult element 2,085 2,150 
			 Lone parent element 2,085 2,150 
			 30 hour element 880 905 
			 Disability element 2,830 2,915 
			 Severe disability element 1,210 1,245 
			 50 plus element  (16-30 hours) 0 1,505 
			 50 plus element  (30 hours) 0 2,225 
		
	
	To ensure support is better targeted at low-income families with children, the Government have recycled some welfare savings into the child tax credit. The child element of the child tax credit will increase by £180 above indexation in 2011-12 and £110 above indexation in 2012-13. These steps have been taken to ensure that there is no measurable impact on child poverty from all modelled Budget and spending review changes to 2012-13.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Commonwealth Games 2014

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has had discussions with the BBC Trust on the likely effects on his Department's contribution to the 2014 Commonwealth Games of the BBC's decision to withdraw as host broadcaster of that event.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 3 November 2010
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has not had any discussions with the BBC on this matter.

British Film Institute

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the British Film Institute's programming.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not currently hold any information on the British Film Institute's programming.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

John Penrose: The Department does not make regional funding allocations based on population data.

Film: Finance

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the monetary value of overseas earnings attributable to the film industry in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009; and what proportion of GDP this represented in each year.

Edward Vaizey: Information on the monetary value of overseas earnings attributable to the UK film industry is not collated centrally. However, the UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook indicates that UK film grossed $3.3 billion in 2007, $4.2 billion in 2008 and $2 billion in 2009 in global box office receipts.
	In 2009, the UK had the third-largest filmed entertainment market in the world, after the USA and Japan at $5.59 billion. This includes box office, DVD home rentals and online downloads, though not TV revenue.
	The UK film industry exported £1.3 billion worth of services in 2008 (the latest year for which data are available) and £1 billion in 2007.
	The Oxford Economics Report on the Economic Contribution of the Film industry (June 2010) estimates that the core UK film industry contributed around £1.6 billion to UK GDP in 2009.

Gambling

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to conclude his consideration of the responses to his consultation on the Regulatory Future of Remote Gambling in Great Britain.

John Penrose: Since the consultation closed I have met a number of key stakeholders including the Gambling Commission, the Remote Gambling Association, representatives from Alderney and the Isle of Man, as well as representatives from faith and community groups.
	I am examining the issues and identifying possible solutions and I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

Gambling

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of category B2 fixed odds betting terminals were located in  (a) bookmakers and  (b) casinos on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Penrose: Almost all B2 gaming machines are made available in licensed betting premises rather than licensed casino premises.
	The Gambling Commission advises, based on industry estimates, that as at 31 March 2009 there were an estimated 27,500 B2 gaming machines available in Great Britain.

Horse Racing: Betting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Horseracing Levy Board and  (b) the bookmaking betting industry on the collection base in future levy schemes.

John Penrose: I have met representatives of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, including the racing and bookmaking industries, to discuss the Levy and seek suggestions about how it might be improved or, if possible, suitably replaced.
	The Government recently announced their intention to remove the Secretary of State's role of determining the Levy scheme when the parties are unable to reach agreement. This will require changes to primary legislation and will not have effect until Parliament has approved such changes. We will be discussing the options with the Levy Board and the racing and betting industries with a view to ensuring the funding for racing is fair, and collected from as broad a base as possible.

Horse Racing: Betting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the economic and cultural effects of a reduction in the fiftieth Horserace Betting Levy.

John Penrose: It is disappointing that the Secretary of State will be required to determine the 50th Horserace Betting Levy Scheme after the parties failed to reach agreement by the deadline of 31 October. The Secretary of State will make his determination in due course on the basis of advice from the Minister for Sport and the Olympics. This will include consideration of all relevant issues.

Music

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the performance of live music.

John Penrose: The Department is currently considering how best to deliver the coalition agreement to cut red tape and encourage the performance of more live music, while ensuring that appropriate protection for local communities continues. We have had discussions with representatives from the music industry, the Local Government Association and the police among others and will continue to do so in our quest for consensus on this issue.

Radio: Digital Broadcasting

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the future of local commercial radio stations after digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: My officials and I are in regular discussions with representatives of the radio sector, including local commercial radio.
	In addition, the Digital Radio Action Plan, published earlier this year, sets out a number of mechanisms to enable all parts of the radio sector to engage with and contribute to the development of the Digital Radio Switchover policy.

S4C: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 319-22WH, if he will take steps to ensure that S4C is structured  (a) to ensure a diversity of programming from independent creative production companies across Wales and  (b) to stimulate the Welsh economy.

Edward Vaizey: The details of S4C's partnership with the BBC are currently being developed. As I made clear in the Westminster Hall debate on S4C funding on 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 319-22WH, all of S4C's content budget will be spent on independent production, as it is now.

S4C: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 319-22WH, if he will introduce a mechanism to secure at least the present level of funding allocated to S4C after 2016.

Edward Vaizey: No decisions have been made about the funding levels for S4C after 2014-15.

UK Film Council: Portland

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to Question 15057, if he will direct the accounting officer of his Department to examine the appropriateness of the UK Film Council's contract with Portland.  [Official Report, 17 November 2010, Vol. 518, c. 7-8MC.]

Edward Vaizey: The Department has been assured by the UK Film Council (UKFC) that its contract with Portland was appropriate and consistent with Cabinet Office rules.
	Portland has advised that it did not carry out any public affairs work for the UKFC, but did assist with media support, and for the purpose of transparency, listed the UKFC on its Advocate Policy and Public Affairs Consulting (APPC) client list.
	In light of this clarification, there are no plans for the Department's Accounting Officer to investigate further the appropriateness of the UK Film Council's contract with Portland.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary General of the United Nations on the worldwide incidence of anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the worldwide incidence of anti-Semitism with the Secretary-General of the United Nations recently. But combating all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, is an important part of the Government's human rights agenda. Internationally, Ministers and officials support work to tackle anti-Semitism within the EU, the UN, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other multilateral fora.
	The Government support the All Party Parliamentary Group Against anti-Semitism and its work to promote efforts by governments and parliamentarians to combat anti-Semitism through implementing the London Declaration, adopted at the London Conference in February 2009.
	The cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism, made up of officials from across Whitehall and the chief executives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust, is engaged in taking forward the provisions of the London Declaration. We look forward to the second Conference of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism in Ottawa in November as an opportunity for all participants to assess the progress that they have made around the world. Sir Andrew Burns, the UK Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, will be representing the Government at the conference.

Colombia

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the killing of Rodolfo Maya Aricape in Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: Journalist and community leader Rodolfo Maya Aricape was murdered on 14 October 2010 in Caloto, Cauca Province. Mr Maya was secretary of the local indigenous council and worked on the Payumat radio station where he reported on conditions in his community. On 21 October the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the killing and called on the Colombian authorities to investigate the case and punish the perpetrators. Vice-president Angelino Garzón condemned the murder of Mr Maya and made a statement that the Colombian Government would not tolerate such violent acts and denounced the activities of illegal armed groups. He called on the authorities to promote democracy and fight organised crime. We will continue to monitor this case.

Colombia: Homicide

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the killing of three children near Tame in Arauca province, Colombia on 14 October 2010.

Jeremy Browne: The Government wholeheartedly condemn this act of violence.
	Our embassy in Bogota reports that on 14 October three children aged six, nine and 14 were allegedly tortured and murdered in Tame, Arauca Province. The children's bodies were found buried in two separate graves located 100 metres from a local military camp. The Colombian army issued a public statement to make clear that it does not tolerate such violent acts and asked the Attorney-General's office and the Public Ministry to investigate. The initial investigation found traces of blood on the rucksacks of 60 soldiers. On 2 November, seven military personnel, including two colonels, a major and a lieutenant were dismissed for failure to control troops in their command. The dismissed officers will now face charges relating to these murders in a civilian court. Our embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor the investigation and raise it with the Colombian Government should it prove necessary.

Colombia: Terrorism

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of alleged collaboration between members of the Colombian Army and paramilitary organisations in the area of San Jose de Apartado in north west Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: We are aware of the vulnerability of the San Jose de Apartado community. An official from our embassy in Bogota visited San Jose de Apartado on 13 and 14 October and met 50 members of the community. They raised the alleged collaboration between the army and paramilitary groups. Officials at our embassy have subsequently raised these concerns in meetings with the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman and a general in the local brigade of the Colombian army.

Colombia: Visits Abroad

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider the merits of revising his Department's travel advice to advise against travel to the provinces of Arauca and Narino.

Jeremy Browne: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British Nationals. Our travel advice on Colombia is kept under constant review and updated regularly. We base our advice on information received from our embassy in Bogota, members of the public and our local knowledge of the area. The safety of British travellers remains the FCO's main concern.
	We advise against all but essential travel to the area of Arauca because of guerrilla activity and the presence there of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Most recently, on 28 October, two policemen were killed by FARC guerrillas.
	We advise against all but essential travel to Narino department. The eastern and western areas of Narino are identified in the crime section of our Travel Advice as areas of potentially high levels of coca cultivation. Narino department has been affected by various FARC attacks in the last three months, most recently on 18 October in Roncadora where seven members of the military were killed. In addition, we strongly advise any travellers to the department of Narino to bear in mind the eruption of the Galeras Volcano on 25 August and recommend that they pay careful attention to all warnings issued by and to follow the advice of the local authorities.

Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on steps to prevent human trafficking across international borders.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
	There have been no recent bilateral discussions with overseas counterparts on human trafficking. However, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I met with the UNHCR high commissioner, Antonio Guterres, to discuss the issue.

Ilois: Resettlement

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will revoke the Order in Council of 2004, which overturned the High Court judgment of 3 November 2000, in respect of the settlement of Chagossians to the Chagos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: The Government have no plans to revoke the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 or the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004.
	UKHL 61 upheld the validity of these Orders. This means that no person has the right of abode in the British Indian Ocean Territory or the right to enter the Territory unless authorised.
	The Government are continuing to contest the case brought by the Chagos Islanders to the European Court of Human Rights for resettlement and further compensation.
	The Government realise that the decision not to change the fundamental policy on resettlement, compensation and on the Marine Protected Area will be a disappointing one for the Chagossians and their supporters. However, we want to keep channels of communication open with the Chagossian community. I made this clear to Mr Olivier Bancoult of the Chagos Refugees Group when we met on 21 October.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of sustainability of Hamas control in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: Hamas is physically, militarily and economically in control of Gaza and is increasingly using its rule to impose a reactionary social agenda. Their only significant challenge comes from even more extreme groups.
	We believe that the best way to lessen Hamas' control is through promoting the economic revitalisation of Gaza and pressing for significant progress in a negotiated solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
	We have repeatedly called on Hamas to stop its interference with humanitarian operations in Gaza and to release Gilad Shalit.
	We are also pressing the Israelis to ease restrictions on Gaza, enable the private sector to flourish, including through exports and the movement of people, and to press for a roll-over of the settlement moratorium which would allow direct talks to continue.

Turkmenistan: EU External Relations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the EU Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with Turkmenistan is not ratified until greater protection for human rights and legal protections for religious minorities in that country are secured.

David Lidington: Turkmenistan's progress on human rights will form an important component of any UK decision to ratify the EU-Turkmenistan Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. Our priority is to support Turkmenistan in becoming a stable and prosperous partner for the UK and EU, and we stand ready to support their plans for democratic and wider reform.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the effects of electoral violence in Uganda on the  (a) humanitarian situation in Uganda and the Great Lakes Region,  (b) African Union peacekeeping in Somalia,  (c) war against the Lords Resistance Army in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic and  (d) prospects for a peaceful referendum in Southern Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We assess that Uganda is playing a positive role in the region through its peacekeeping deployment to Somalia, progress on economic regional integration within the East Africa Community and co-operation with other countries affected by the Lord's Resistance Army.
	We judge that peaceful elections in Uganda in February 2011 would support further constructive Ugandan engagement with its neighbours and regional partners. In addition, it would support the further development of the country and the further improvement of the humanitarian situation in the north. Of course, any violence around the electoral process could undermine these objectives. Therefore the UK is working with support key institutions in Uganda, including the Electoral Commission, Government and opposition parties and police force, to support elections that are as credible and peaceful as possible.

UN Women

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, column 257-8W, on UN Women, whom the UK  (a) nominated and  (b) supported for the post of Head of UN Women.

Jeremy Browne: During the negotiations to establish UN Women, the EU agreed that the first person to fill the Under Secretary-General post should be from a developing country, and that we should encourage developing countries to put forward their own candidates. Because of this, the UK did not nominate a candidate.
	The appointment of the Under Secretary-General, like other Under Secretary-General positions within the UN Secretariat, is at the discretion of the Secretary-General. He did not approach member states for their views.
	The UK fully supports the appointment of Michelle Bachelet as the Under Secretary-General to head UN Women. We look forward to working closely with her as she shapes UN Women's vision and workplan in the coming months.

Venezuela: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK-Venezuelan relations; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We enjoy a productive working relationship with the Venezuelan Government and work closely in areas of mutual interest, including counter narcotics and commercial interests. The UK and Venezuela share goals in poverty reduction, fairer societies and the importance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
	The Home Office Minister for crime prevention the Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (James Brokenshire) met the Venezuelan Vice Foreign Minister Temir Porras on 1 October during his visit to Venezuela. He took the opportunity of this meeting to reiterate our shared responsibility with Venezuela on matters of immigration and the fight against drugs trafficking.

Venezuela: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) treaties and  (b) co-operation agreements exist between the UK and Venezuela; when each such agreement was signed; who the signatories were; when each such agreement will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The information is not immediately available in the form requested. I shall write to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West with the details he seeks shortly and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

West Papua: Human Rights

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the human rights situation of the people of West Papua.

Jeremy Browne: We receive regular reports on the human rights situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
	For example, we were concerned by the disturbing images in recently released video footage depicting serious abuse by the Indonesian security forces. We have raised our concerns with the Indonesian authorities and welcome their prompt announcement that there will be a full investigation and that those military officers found to be responsible will be held to account. We will keep in close contact with the Indonesian Government on this issue.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review.

Andrew Mitchell: All pressures on the Department for International Development's (DFID's) budget were taken into account as part of the spending review and the settlement allocated accordingly. The full costs of redundancies will be met from within DFID's spending review resource DEL settlement.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Andrew Mitchell: Determining optimal work force reforms in order to live within the Department for International Development's (DFID's) spending review resource DEL settlement will be an ongoing process. Detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies that may be required have yet to be finalised.
	Additionally, the total cost of any redundancies made over the SR period is wholly dependent on the awaited final structure of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Departmental Redundancy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff of his Department have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: The number of staff in the Department for International Development (DFID) who were offered early retirement packages under the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in each of the last three financial years is as follows.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of staff 
			 2007-08 48 
			 2008-09 14 
			 2009-10 28

Departmental Secondment

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's staff are on secondment to UN Women; and whether he has plans for further such secondments.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government strongly support the establishment of the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, known as UN Women.
	There are no staff from the Department for International Development (DFID) on secondment to UN Women. UN Women will become operational by January 2011 and is currently considering its staffing requirements. DFID is in close touch with the management team on any help they might need, but no decision has yet been taken on any secondments.

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answers of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 292-93W, on developing countries: politics and government, how much and what proportion of the increase in official development assistance targeted at conflict affected and fragile states announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be drawn from the budget for  (a) his Department,  (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,  (c) the Ministry of Defence and  (d) the Conflict Pool settlement.

Andrew Mitchell: The proportion of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) used to support fragile and conflict affected states and tackle the drivers of instability will rise from 22% in 2010/11 to 30% in 2014-15. This is expected to amount to £3.7 billion in 2014-15. The vast majority of this is expected to be funded from the Department for International Development's (DFID's) budget. The remainder will come from the Conflict Pool settlement, which is jointly managed by DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as well as from ODA managed by a range of Government Departments, including the FCO and MOD. My Department is in communication with other Government Departments to determine precise contributions from each and will continue to work with colleagues across Whitehall to ensure the target is achieved.

UN Women's Agency: Finance

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial contribution the Government plans to make to UN Women in the next four years.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 828W, on UN Women's Agency: Finance.

EDUCATION

Academies: Faith Schools

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether religious schools which become academies are entitled to retain selective admissions criteria.

Nick Gibb: Existing schools with a religious designation that convert to become academies will be able to retain their admission arrangements, including where those schools give priority to applicants on the basis of their faith. Any school converting, whether or not it has a faith designation, will be able to retain admission arrangements that select on the basis of ability or aptitude.
	This reflects the underlying principle, secured through the Academies Act 2010, that schools convert to academies with the same characteristics they had prior to conversion.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria were used to determine which schools rebuilding programmes in Bolton would not go ahead under the Building Schools for the Future scheme.

Nick Gibb: On 5 July the Secretary of State announced a stop on expenditure on the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme until a more efficient use of resources has been determined. The criteria for determining which school projects within the programme are to continue were national. There were no criteria specific to Bolton.
	BSF developments are being maintained for three groups of schools:
	those in a local authority area's initial BSF scheme where Financial Close has been reached;
	the first projects due to be taken forward in a local authority area where Financial Close has not been reached but where very significant work has been undertaken, to the point of appointing a preferred bidder at close of dialogue; and
	some schools with planned projects subsequent to their authority's initial scheme-projects with outline business cases approved before 1 January 2010.
	The following Bolton schools have had their BSF funding stopped as they do not fit into the three aforementioned categories: Bolton Muslim Girls School, Ladybridge High School, Little Lever Specialist Language College, Rumworth Special School, Sharples School, Smithills and Westhoughton High. Kearsley Academy's capital allocation will be determined after the comprehensive spending review as announced by the Secretary of State on the 6 August.

Children, Schools and Families Act 2010

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the  (a) prefix and  (b) title is of each file on Clauses 11 to 14 of the Children, Schools and Families Bill of Session 2009-10 held by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: PSHE embraces a large number of topics including sex education, drugs and alcohol, financial capability, health and safety and work-related learning. The Department has files on all of these as well as on general PSHE policy and parliamentary business.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the URL is of each website managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Michael Gove: The Department for Education is currently responsible for managing 11 websites. The URLs for these are shown at list A. A number of these were subsumed within the revised Department for Education website when it was launched last month.
	The Department's NDPBs manage a total of 21 websites, and the URLs are shown at table B.
	 L ist  A-Department URLs:
	www.governornet.co.uk
	www.need2know.co.uk
	www.teachernet.gov.uk
	www.standards.dfes.gov.uk
	www.connexions-direct.com
	www.dcsf.gov.uk
	www.education.gov.uk
	www.tre.ngfl.gov.uk
	www.myguide.gov.uk
	www.edubase.gov.uk
	www.schoolsadjudicator.gov.uk
	
		
			  Table B 
			  NDBP  URLs 
			 The British Educational Communications and technology Agency www.becta.org.uk 
			  www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk 
			  www.cc4g.net 
			   
			 The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency www.qcda.org.uk 
			  www.wba.qca.org.uk 
			  www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk 
			   
			 The Teaching and Development Agency www.multiverse.ac.uk 
			  www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk 
			  www.ttrb.ac.uk 
			  www.tda.gov.uk 
			   
			 The School Food Trust www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk 
			 The Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service www.cafcass.gov.uk 
			   
			 National Council for School Leadership http://matrix.ncsl.org.uk/ 
			  www.nationalcollege.org.uk 
			   
			 The Children's Commissioner www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk 
			 The Children's Workforce Development Council www.cwdcouncil.org.uk 
			 Partnership for Schools www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk 
			 The Teachers TV Board of Governors www.ttvboard.org 
			 The Young People's Learning Agency www.ypla.gov.uk 
			 Ofsted www.ofsted.gov.uk 
			 Ofqual www.ofqual.gov.uk

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the nature was of the grant awarded under the terms of the contract between his Department and  (a) the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and  (b) the Youth Sport Trust; and whether the letting of these contracts was subject to the provisions of the Public Procurement Regulations 2006.

Nick Gibb: The grant awarded by the Department to SSAT for 2010-11 is £14,368,018 and is mainly to support the Specialist Schools and the Academies programmes. The grant awarded to YST for 2010-11 is £15,212,000 and is to support a range of PE and sports programmes. Grants are not subject to the 2006 Public Procurement Regulations.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The following figures represent the spend on air travel and hotel accommodation for Department for Education officials while on overseas visits during the past 12 months.
	
		
			  Overseas visits 
			   £ 
			 Air travel  
			  2010  
			 September 1,071.06 
			 August 777.89 
			 July 0 
			 June 1,364.99 
			 May 882.59 
			 April 7,356.35 
			 March 6,470.75 
			 February 2,279.68 
			 January 1,347.4 
			   
			  2009  
			 December 615.97 
			 November 650.81 
			 October 11,907 
			 Total 34,724.49 
			   
			 Hotels  
			  2010  
			 September 0 
			 August 0 
			 July 266 
			 June 1,575 
			 May 186 
			 April 3,216 
			 March 500 
			 February 0 
			 January 80 
			   
			  2009  
			 December 0 
			 November 1,051 
			 October 2,639 
			 Total 9,513

Education: Finance

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account will be taken of the evidence gathered as part of the previous Government's consultation on education funding in  (a) the consultation on the pupil premium and  (b) future decisions on the wider funding formula.

Nick Gibb: We published our proposals for school funding in 2011-12, including the introduction of the pupil premium, on 26 July 2010. Those proposals took into account the evidence gathered as part of the previous Government's review of school funding. We plan minimal changes to the underlying system for 2011-12 in order to ensure the transparent introduction of the premium. We also made clear our longer term intention to bring in a simpler and more transparent funding system to help reduce the funding differences between similar schools in different areas. We will work with key partners to consider how best to bring this about and will take into account relevant evidence including that from the previous Government's review.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he made of the merits of allocating responsibility for the provision of advice to groups wishing to establish free schools to officials in his Department prior to taking the decision to allocate this responsibility to the New Schools Network;
	(2)  what role he had in the process of awarding his Department's contract to provide advice to groups wishing to establish free schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department is finalising a grant agreement (rather than a contract) with New Schools Network (NSN) to provide advice to groups wishing to establish free schools. Having taken advice from officials, we have agreed that NSN was ideally placed to undertake such activities.
	The Department has given out similar grants in the past, such as to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and the Youth Sport Trust.

Languages: Education

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage the teaching of modern languages.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 October 2010
	The Government believe that learning a language is important to the social and economic future of the country and to help children understand the world in which they live. We will be announcing more details about a review of the National Curriculum later this year. This review will consider the status of languages at both primary and secondary level. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world.
	On 6 September, in a speech at Westminster Academy, the Secretary of State announced an English Baccalaureate, to include a modern or ancient language as one of the core academic subjects that children should learn at GCSE level, along with English, maths, science and a humanity subject.

Mental Illness

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the recommendations relating to his Department of the report by the Government Office for Science, Foresight on Mental Capital and Wellbeing; if he will ensure that his Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective well-being; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 21 October 2010
	The Foresight Report "Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Making the Most of ourselves in the 21st century", published on 22 October 2008, contained many key messages around the needs of children which are important for this Department, including its conclusions and broad recommendations relating to child development and learning, children with learning difficulties, and those with mental health needs.
	There is a breadth of work taking place across the Department for Education which will drive these priorities forward, including the SEN and Disability Green Paper. The Department is also working closely with the Home Office on the development of a new drug strategy, and the Department of Health on NHS reforms, a Public Health White Paper and a new mental health strategy. The Government will also be keen to reflect on the findings of some key, related work being carried out through the independent review of early intervention by the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen) and Dame Claire Tickell's independent review of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Primary Education: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department provides funds to primary schools in  (a) deprived communities and  (b) other areas to promote engagement with universities.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not provide funds to primary schools to promote engagement with universities.

Schools: Wolverhampton

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether any schools in Wolverhampton South West constituency have applied to become an academy.

Nick Gibb: To date, no schools in Wolverhampton South West constituency have applied to become an academy, or expressed an interest in doing so.
	The latest list of primary and secondary schools within England that have expressed an interest in academy status is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0061400/schools-registering-interest-or-submitting-an-application

Special Educational Needs

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made in establishing an advisory group on the effect of the Academies Act 2010 on funding provision for children with low-incidence special educational needs; and what the names are of the members of the group.

Nick Gibb: DFE is reviewing how academies are funded from 2011-12 onwards to identify the scope for simplifying the funding process and as part of this, we will consider funding for SEN pupils. This includes consideration of the funding academies receive for functions previously undertaken by local authorities, and of the way in which funding is deducted from local authorities to take account of this. The School Funding Implementation Group, including both local authority and academy representation, is providing advice into this review.
	The Department has established an advisory group to consider the process by which special schools may become academies, to identify any practical issues in this process, and to advise the Department as to how these may be resolved. The members of the group are as follows:
	Heather Rockhold (Lauriston School)
	Royston Halford (Hawkley Hall High School)
	David Gregory (Fosse Way School)
	Sue Bourne (The Avenue School)
	Kay Bedford (Swiss Cottage School)
	Malcolm Reeve (Columbus School)
	Steve Roberts (St Vincent's School for Blind and Partially Sighted Children)
	Toby Salt (Littlegreen and St. Anthony's special schools federation)
	Sir Bob Balchin
	Bob Freeman (ADCS nomination, Luton Borough Council)
	Harriet Martin (LGA nomination, Luton Borough Council)
	Claire Dorer (National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools)
	Jolanta Lasota (TreeHouse).
	Other representatives are invited to attend meetings of the advisory group as appropriate. The advisory group is chaired and supported by Department for Education officials.

Special Educational Needs

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what  (a) monitoring and  (b) assessment his Department has undertaken of the effect of (i) existing and (ii) new academies on education services for children with low-incidence special educational needs.

Nick Gibb: DfE is reviewing how academies are funded from 2011-12 onwards to identify the scope for simplifying the funding process and, as part of this, we will consider funding for SEN pupils. This includes consideration of the funding academies receive for functions previously undertaken by local authorities, and of the way in which funding is deducted from local authorities to take account of this. The School Funding Implementation Group, including both local authority and academy representation, is providing advice into this review.
	The YPLA is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the terms of Academy Funding Agreements-which contain obligations in relation to the provision of services for academy pupils with SEN. The Model Funding Agreement has recently been strengthened to give the Secretary of State the power to intervene specifically in relation to the delivery of SEN obligations and the YPLA will, therefore, advise the Secretary of State of circumstances where that power should be used.
	On 10 September the Minister of State for Children and Families invited views from everyone with an interest in services for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities in England. All views and perspectives received will be considered as part of developing proposals for a Green Paper on SEN and disability to be published this autumn.

Teachers: Standards

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to raise the standard of science and mathematics teaching; and if he will allocate funds for the purpose of raising the standard of such teaching in North Swindon constituency.

Nick Gibb: We have announced our intention to review the national curriculum to restore it to its original purpose-a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. We will consider the content of the mathematics and science curriculum as part of this process and will announce more details about this review later in the year. We will also set out our proposals for improving standards in mathematics and science in the White Paper later this year, and as part of the follow up to the comprehensive spending review. The Government are committed to recruiting more high quality graduates into teaching, and the forthcoming White Paper will also outline the Government's plans for ensuring the right supply of specialist teachers in physics, chemistry and mathematics, as well as improving the skills of those already in the classroom. In July this year, we announced an additional £4 million to expand the Teach First programme, which will support Teach First to increase the number and quality of applicants to the programme, including those from a mathematics and science background.
	Funding for all schools from 2011-12 onwards, including in North Swindon, will be determined in the follow-up to the spending review.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Benefit

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to create a new form of National Insurance credit to assist stay-at-home parents who would have otherwise qualified for national insurance credits whilst receiving child benefit.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Teresa Pearce) on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 643W.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely effects of an increase in non-dependent deductions on the number of new households formed; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.
	Households are formed and stay together for a number of factors, including non-financial reasons, and the Department has not been able to estimate the impact that higher rates of non-dependant deductions would have on non-dependant mobility or household formation.
	We shall publish an Equality Impact Assessment for the June Budget change to non-dependant deductions to accompany the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament.

Council Tax Benefits

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment his Department prepared prior to the decision to transfer direct control of council tax benefit to local authorities.

Steve Webb: The Chancellor set out the overall impact on individuals of the benefit and tax credit changes announced in spending review 2010. The precise impacts of the localisation of council tax benefit will depend on the flexibilities given to local authorities and the choices made by them. The Government are working to develop the new arrangements and will publish the detailed impact assessment when legislation is introduced.

Council Tax Benefits

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities prior to his decision to transfer direct control of council tax benefit to local authorities.

Steve Webb: The need to reform housing benefit and council tax benefit was discussed with the associations (including COSLA) that represent local authorities as part of the consultation process on Supporting People into work: the next stage of Housing Benefit reform. The proposal announced in the spending review was not formally discussed with the associations but COSLA and the other associations will be given the opportunity to contribute their views as the new arrangements are developed.

Council Tax: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in  (a) Bethnal Green and Bow and  (b) Tower Hamlets were in receipt of council tax benefit on the latest date for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The information for Bethnal Green and Bow constituency is not available.
	 Notes:
	1. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
	2. Council tax benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp
	3. At present geographic breakdowns are only available for local authorities and regions. However, an exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the data: this will include parliamentary constituencies.
	(b) There were 34,740 council tax benefit recipients in Tower Hamlets local authority area in July 2010.
	 Notes:
	1. Recipients are as at the second Thursday of the month.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Council tax benefit figures exclude any single adult rebate cases.
	4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and July 2010 is the latest available.
	 Source:
	Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Disability Living Allowance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on those who live in residential care homes of his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance from such people; what representations he has received on his proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: People who live in state funded residential care homes will cease to be paid the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) after 28 days. While these residents will not be paid DLA, they will retain an underlying entitlement to the benefit and it will be reinstated if they leave the care home providing they continue to satisfy the conditions of entitlement. The planned implementation date is October 2012. The change will not apply to residents who meet the full costs of the care home themselves; they will continue to be paid any care or mobility components of disability living allowance they are entitled to. The change will affect around 60,000 people.
	Local authority contracts with care homes cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
	We have received representations in the form of parliamentary questions and correspondence since the measure was announced. The measure will be introduced as part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill. In line with the Department's commitment to transparency, an equality impact assessment for Welfare Reform Bill measures such as this, will be published on DWP's website alongside the Bill in due course.

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has paid in bonus or incentive payments to each company in delivering medical assessments for disability living allowance in the most recent 12 months for which records are available.

Maria Miller: Atos Healthcare are contracted to provide the Department with medical services including assessments in connection with disability living allowance. No bonus or incentive payments have been made in respect of the medical services provided by Atos Healthcare.

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessments for disability living allowance ATOS Healthcare carried out in the last 12 months; how many such assessments were appealed against; and how many such appeals were successful.

Maria Miller: The number of disability living allowance assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare in the period October 2009 to September 2010 was 46,312.
	We are unable to say how many assessments were appealed against or how many such appeals were successful. DLA appeals can be made against all decisions and the management information system of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service does not go to the level of detail that would identify those appeals specifically related to such assessments.
	 Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions Management Information Statistics.

Employment: Questionnaires

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on Government policy on the use of pre-employment health questionnaires.

Chris Grayling: It was a collective decision by the coalition Government to implement section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 from 1 October 2010, but there have been no recent discussions with ministerial colleagues on Government policy on the use of pre-employment questionnaires. Section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 places restrictions on when a person recruiting for work may make inquiries about an applicant's health or disability prior to the point of a job offer being made, or the applicant being placed in a pool of successful applicants to be offered a job when a vacancy arises.

Housing Benefit

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people will be affected by the removal of the one-bed rate for 25 to 35-year-olds in each  (a) region,  (b) local authority area,  (c) constituency and  (d) broad rental market area;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of recipients of local housing allowance (LHA) at the shared room rate pay rent in excess of their LHA payments; and what the average level of the excess is.

Steve Webb: We will publish a document on the impacts of the proposed changes to the shared room rate in due course. This will include information at the local authority level.
	The Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12' on 23 July. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library. Based on this document, around 30% of housing benefit recipients subject to the shared room rate will lose their local housing allowance excess as their rents are below the local housing allowance rate.

Housing Benefit

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on the local economy of reductions in entitlement to housing benefit in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: On 23 July the Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12', which includes analysis at the local authority level, and a separate Equality Impact Assessment. A copy of the documents has been placed in the Library.
	The Department will publish a full impact assessment for the 2011-12 changes to the local housing allowance arrangements when it lays the relevant legislation in November 2010.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of availability of  (a) two,  (b) three and  (c) four bedroom properties to local housing allowance claimants in each local authority after the implementation of the proposed benefits cap and restriction of local housing allowance to the 30th percentile.

Steve Webb: The local housing allowance rates will be set at the 30th percentile of rents in each broad rental market area, ensuring that 30% of properties, for each property size, would be affordable under the local housing allowance arrangements.
	The Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12' on 23 July, which includes a section on the impact of the housing benefit cap on the availability of accommodation for each broad rental market area. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.

Housing Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of tenants in the privately rented sector who receive housing benefit.

Steve Webb: My most recent estimate is that approximately 40% of tenants in the private rented sector receive housing benefit.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's impact assessment of changes to local housing allowance included in its analysis properties used by local authorities as temporary accommodation.

Steve Webb: The impact document published on 23 July 2010 did not include properties used by local authorities as temporary accommodation. Housing benefit subsidy for people in temporary accommodation is considered separately to mainstream local housing allowance rates and reviewed annually.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of private rentals in each broad market rental area which are in receipt of local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: My most recent estimate is that approximately 40% of tenants in the private rented sector receive housing benefit.
	This is a national figure; reliable estimates at local level are not available.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of claimants of local housing allowance whose monthly allowance does not cover the cost of rental payments.

Steve Webb: In August 2009, 48% of those receiving housing benefit under the local housing allowance arrangements had a shortfall in their rent caused by the customer's contractual rent being higher than the appropriate local housing allowance rate.
	Work is under way to update this information and we aim to include this in the publication on a two-year review of the local housing allowance due out later this year.

Housing Benefit: Employment

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will exempt those recipients of housing benefit who are in employment from the proposed change in entitlement from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to introduce exemptions for specific groups when we change the basis on which local housing allowance rates are set. We have provided a substantial increase in the discretionary housing payments budget which will allow local authorities to give additional support where it is most needed.

Housing Benefit: Jobseeker's Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of housing benefit recipients who have also been receiving jobseeker's allowance for over  (a) six and  (b) 12 months.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed housing benefit and council tax benefit data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
	At present, the management information needed to estimate durations on housing benefit has not been sufficiently quality assured; and, while information is collected on the number of claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, which includes income-based jobseeker's allowance, the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving housing benefit is not available.
	Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp

Housing Benefit: Oxfordshire

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in each ward in Oxford West and Abingdon constituency were in receipt of housing benefit of more than £400 per week in the last period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at the constituency level. At July 2010, our records show that in Cherwell, Oxford and the Vale of White Horse local authorities combined there were fewer than five households receiving housing benefit over £400 per week.
	 Source:
	Single Housing Benefit Extract from July 2010. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 recipients.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the private rented sector were in receipt of housing benefit or local housing allowance in each local authority area in England and Wales in each year since 2000-01.

Steve Webb: The information has been placed in the Library.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons claimants of Support for Mortgage Interest were given fewer than six days notice before the implementation of the reduction in the level of payments under that scheme.

Steve Webb: The recent change in the standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest was announced in the emergency Budget on 22 June. The information was placed on the Treasury and the DirectGov websites. DWP officials also took steps to disseminate the information, including an article for InTouch (an electronic newsletter for key external stakeholders and claimant representative organisations), and a letter in July explaining the change to all DWP stakeholder groups which was followed up with a further letter on 31 August to let them know what the new standard interest rate would be.
	We would not have been able to provide claimants with the actual details of the new rate until the rate was published by the Bank of England on 31 August, which only allowed a small window of time to inform claimants of the actual rate and its effect on their benefit entitlement. When the standard interest rate moved up and down, before being frozen at 6.08% in November 2008, exactly the same limited notification period would have arisen.
	As cases are reassessed by the Department's computer systems, letters are usually sent out automatically to claimants advising them of the change. The system letters started going out around mid-September, in advance of the change on 1 October 2010. Mortgage direct interest payments are made four-weekly in arrears, so most claimants would have been informed around a month before their new interest payments was made.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress his Department has made in negotiations with mortgage lenders on averaging out mortgage rates under the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme.

Steve Webb: We plan to hold further discussions on this proposal with the Council of Mortgage Lenders in the coming weeks.

Pension Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what rate he intends to increase the thresholds for the guaranteed credit and savings credit elements of pension credit after April 2011; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of such increases on the level of pension credit relative to the basic state pension in the next four years.

Steve Webb: An uprating statement for 2011 benefit rates will be made in the House later this year and will include pension credit. The Government have committed to the "triple guarantee" for the uprating of basic state pension and in 2011 we will ensure the majority of those on pension credit will benefit from at least the cash increase in the basic state pension. There is a statutory requirement to increase the standard minimum guarantee at least in line with earnings each year.

Pensions

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the proportion of spending on  (a) the basic state pension,  (b) the savings credit and  (c) guarantee credit which is received by each decile of the population.

Steve Webb: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) Information on the proportion of benefit spending on basic state pension by income deciles is not available exactly as requested. Information set out in the following table shows the proportion of the expenditure on overall state pension (basic state pension and additional pension) by equivalised household income deciles on an after housing cost basis. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years.
	
		
			  The proportion of spending on state pension by pensioner income decile basic state pension and additional pension for pensioners on an after housing cost basis in Great Britain, equivalised, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			   Percentage 
			 Bottom decile 8 
			 Second decile 9 
			 Third decile 10 
			 Fourth decile 10 
			 Fifth decile 10 
			 Sixth decile 11 
			 Seventh decile 11 
			 Eighth decile 11 
			 Ninth decile 11 
			 Top decile 10 
		
	
	 (b) and  (c) Information on the proportion of spending on guarantee credit and savings credit by income deciles is not available as requested. Information set out in the following table shows the proportion of the expenditure on pension credit (guarantee credit and savings credit) by equivalised household income deciles on an after housing cost basis. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years.
	
		
			  The proportion of spending on pension credit by pensioner income deciles guarantee credit plus savings credit for pensioners on an after housing cost basis in Great Britain, equivalised, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			   Percentage 
			 Bottom decile 9 
			 Second decile 20 
			 Third decile 14 
			 Fourth decile 10 
			 Fifth decile 10 
			 Sixth decile 8 
			 Seventh decile 11 
			 Eighth decile 11 
			 Ninth decile 6 
			 Top decile 2 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years. 2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest percentage point, so the deciles may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series. 4. The income of single pensioners are divided by 0.58 to take account of their costs relative to a pensioner couple household who have shared costs-this is known as equivalisation. The quintiles and deciles are derived using OECD equivalisation factors. 5. The Family Resources Survey is known to undercount receipt of certain benefits. This methodology assumes that this undercount is spread proportionally across deciles. 
		
	
	Take up of the guarantee credit pension credit was between 71% and 81% of those estimated to be entitled in 2008-09. The majority of pensioners in the lowest decile appear from the data collected in the Family Resources Survey to have an entitlement to pension credit but have not made a claim so pension credit expenditure on pensioners in the lowest decile is relatively low.
	Pension credit recipients within the top four deciles generally have severe disabilities, which entitle them to disability benefits and premiums which increase their income to reflect the additional costs of disability. The breakdown of income takes no account of the extra costs of disability. In addition pensioner's income is assessed independently of the wider household to establish entitlement to pension credit. No account is taken of the income of the wider household, whose income raises the household equivalised income to the higher deciles.

Pensions: Females

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many married women eligible to claim a state pension on the basis of their husband's contributions did so in each year prior to March 2008 for which figures are available; how many such claims were successful; and what estimate he has made of the number of eligible married women who failed to claim.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table. This includes married women who are entitled to some basic state pension based on their own national insurance contributions, which has been increased up to the level of the Category B pension using their husband's national insurance contribution record.
	
		
			  Married women receiving a basic state pension based on their husband's national insurance contribution record (a Category B pension)-Time series: March 1995 to February 2008( 1) 
			   Category B pension 
			  March each year  
			 1995(2) 2,106,900 
			 1996 2,141,400 
			 1997 2,176,800 
			 1998 2,208,300 
			 1999 2,233,200 
			 2000 2,253,100 
			 2001 2,252,400 
			 2002 2,251,700 
			  February each year  
			 2003(3) 2,280,480 
			 2004 2,281,620 
			 2005 2,260,270 
			 2006 2,224,160 
			 2007 2,183,890 
			 2008 2,138,380 
			 (1) Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100% data is the preferred source when producing analysis. When WPLS 100% data are not available then sample data are used instead. WPLS state pension data are available from May 2002-prior to that sample data are used.  (2) March 1995 to March 2002. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Numbers are based on a 5% sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. Figures are rated in line with the WPLS total caseload.  (3) February 2003 to February 2008 Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten.   Source:  March 1995 to March 2002: DWP Information Directorate 5% sample data. February 2003 to February 2008: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100% data.

Remploy

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with  (a) management and  (b) employees of Remploy; what plans he has for the future of Remploy; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Minister for Disabled People and departmental officials recently met with trade union representatives to listen to their views on the future of Remploy. We will continue to work with and listen to the views of the trade unions, Remploy employees and all those who have a close interest in Remploy.
	The review of Remploy Ltd was in connection with its status as a non-departmental public body. The status of Remploy as a non-departmental public body also remains unchanged. In the light of the spending review settlement I can also confirm that the budget for Remploy Ltd remains unchanged.
	Remploy continues to be part of the Government's programme of support to help severely disabled people into work. I do, however, want to look at how we ensure continued improvements in the service provided by Remploy to disabled people. I will continue to work closely with Remploy and other key stakeholders in order to achieve this.

Sky Lanterns: Safety

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations his Department has received on the safety instructions on sky lanterns.

Edward Davey: holding answer 1 November 2010
	 I have been asked to reply.
	We have received no recent representations specifically concerning the safety instructions on sky lanterns. However, BIS and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are aware of the broader safety concerns with these products. In August, BIS wrote to local authority trading standards services, asking them to make importers aware that some sky lanterns lacked full instructions, and encouraging them to get manufacturers to address this problem.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls the National Benefit Fraud Hotline received in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those calls were referred to  (a) the Fraud Investigation Service and  (b) Customer Compliance each year.

Chris Grayling: Every call to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline is examined by the Department. Where there is enough evidence to indicate potential benefit fraud the case is passed to either the Fraud Investigation Service for further investigation or to our Customer Compliance teams in Jobcentre Plus who will scrutinise the relevant benefit claim and make adjustments to entitlements as necessary.
	The number of calls received in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  National Benefit Fraud Hotline 
			   Calls received 
			 2005-06 211,599 
			 2006-07 215,924 
			 2007-08 237,101 
			 2008-09 241,159 
			 2009-10 253,708 
		
	
	Information on the proportion of calls referred to the Fraud Investigation Service and Customer Compliance each year is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of appeals proceedings against medical assessment decisions relating to disability living allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: We are unable to provide the cost to the public purse of appeal proceedings against medical assessment decisions relating to disability living allowance (DLA). DLA appeals can be made against all decisions and the management information systems of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) and the Tribunal Service do not go to the level of detail that would identify those appeals specifically related to medical assessments.
	The total number of appeals in relation to the total number of decisions made for DLA for the period 2009-10 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Total DLA decisions for 2009-10 957,000 
			 DLA decisions made by the appeals service 51,000 
			  Note:  Figures rounded to the nearest thousand.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions-RDA60209, 60205 and 80123 reports Management Information Statistics.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Public Appointments

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department sought legal advice on its decision not to reappoint Ms Jenny Watson to the board of the Audit Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 Decisions about reappointments to the Board of the Audit Commission were taken in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice, which does not involve the seeking of legal advice about appointment decisions.
	The Secretary of State decided to recruit by open competition new Commissioners to the Commission's Board to bring new private sector expertise and skills to help with the upcoming transition of the audit practice into the private sector. He has now appointed three new Commissioners with such experience to the board.
	I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of the letter relating to the decision not to reappoint Ms Watson.

Council Housing: Finance

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assumptions his Department has made on the rates of construction of new council dwellings in developing its proposed new framework for council house finance.

Andrew Stunell: A self-financing settlement will provide all local authorities with sufficient resources to maintain their existing stock in a decent condition. It will also provide some capacity for local authorities to build new council homes, but that is very much a local decision for the authorities concerned.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government is a contributor to the regional development agency single pot. Population data were used as a factor shaping funding allocations to RDAs following spending review 2007 and before. Allocations to RDAs following conclusion of spending review 2010 will be determined shortly but are likely to be based on the levels of legal commitment and anticipated closure costs.

EU Grants and Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) officials of his Department on the future arrangements for handling of funds from the European Regional Development Fund by Government Departments.

Bob Neill: We are currently considering the future arrangements for running European Regional Development Fund programmes in the regions, after the abolition of the regional development agencies. This has included discussions at ministerial and official level. We will make an announcement when the decision has been reached.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the preparedness of local fire authorities and the readiness of contingency plans in the event of industrial action.

Bob Neill: It is vitally important that fire and rescue authorities have robust business continuity plans in place to deal with serious disruptive events. This is not only their statutory duty, but what their communities will expect. The current strike action in London highlights the need to have comprehensive plans in place.
	The Government have taken a more proactive stance in assessing the effectiveness of business continuity arrangements in Fire and Rescue Authorities. A recent Audit Commission report concluded that these were satisfactory. We will be working with the sector to reassess the position and I have asked the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser to monitor and report in the new year.

Fire Services: West Midlands

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) he and  (b) officials in his Department have had meetings with public affairs companies working on behalf of West Midlands Fire Authority since his appointment.

Bob Neill: Neither Ministers nor officials in the Department of Communities and Local Government have had any meetings with public affairs companies working on behalf of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authorities. Ministers and officials meet with MPs, councillors and Fire Authority officials on a range of matters from time to time. As the Secretary of State made clear in his press notice of 5 August, local authorities should not feel the need to waste taxpayers' money on professional public affairs companies to make representations to Government.

Housing Benefit: Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued concerning the status as unintentionally homeless of local housing allowance claimants who have  (a) left their home,  (b) accrued rent arrears arising from a shortfall between rents charged and allowance payable and  (c) applied as homeless to local authorities.

Grant Shapps: Chapter 11 of the "Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities", issued under section 182 of the Housing Act 1996, provides guidance on intentional homelessness. Chapter 11 includes the following:
	"For homelessness to be intentional, the act or omission that led to homelessness must have been deliberate, and applicants must always be given the opportunity to explain such behaviour. An act or omission should not generally be treated as deliberate, even where deliberately carried out, if it is forced upon the applicant through no fault of their own."
	(paragraph 11.16);
	"Generally, an act or omission should not be considered deliberate where: i) the act or omission was non-payment of rent which was the result of housing benefit delays or financial difficulties which were beyond the applicant's control;"
	(paragraph 11.17);
	"An applicant's actions would not amount to intentional homelessness where he or she has lost his or her home, or was obliged to sell it, because of rent or mortgage arrears resulting from significant financial difficulties, and the applicant was genuinely unable to keep up the rent or mortgage payments even after claiming benefits, and no further financial help was available."
	(paragraph 11.18); and
	"An applicant cannot be treated as intentionally homeless unless it would have been reasonable for him or her to have continued to occupy the accommodation."
	(paragraph 11.22).

Local Government Executive

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to bring forward proposals to enable local authorities to return to the committee system of government.

Bob Neill: As set out in our coalition agreement, "The Coalition: Our Programme for Government", we are committed to allow councils to return to the committee system should they wish to. We intend to provide for this in our forthcoming Localism Bill.

Local Government: Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an estimate of the number of redundancies likely to be made by local authorities as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Bob Neill: It is for individual councils to make local decisions about how their work forces are organised and managed to deliver efficient services for local taxpayers within the resources they have available.

Local Government: Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an estimate of the likely cost to local authorities of staff redundancy arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review.

Bob Neill: Redundancy decisions are for individual councils to take within the discretions provided by the Local Government (Early Termination of Employment) (Discretionary Compensation) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006.

Members: Correspondence

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to respond to the letter of 7 October 2010 from the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye on the Bellwin Fund.

Bob Neill: I replied to my hon. Friend on 28 October.

Opencast Mining: Planning Permission

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review his Department's planning guidance on the distance between residential homes and open cast mining areas for the purposes of aligning it with the equivalent guidance in Scotland.

Bob Neill: We will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning policy framework covering all forms of development and setting out national economic, environmental and social priorities. We will make an announcement on how we propose to take forward the national planning framework and the implications for specific areas of planning policy shortly.

Overseas Visits: Public Expenditure

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list the  (a) destination,  (b) cost to the public purse and  (c) purpose of each overseas visit undertaken by the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) when he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in his Department.

Bob Neill: The information requested is as follow:
	
		
			  Date  Destination  Purpose of visit  Total cost including travel and accommodation  (£) 
			 5-9 April 2009 Karachi, Islamabad and Mirpur, Pakistan Ministerial visit on preventing extremism 5,028 
			 17-20 May 2009 Riyadh, Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia Ministerial visit on preventing extremism 2,332

Parish Councils: Disclosure of Information

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency in the activities of parish councils.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 21 October 2010,  Official Report, column 813W. It is important that there is transparency in the activities of parish and towns councils, and accordingly we are requesting them to publish details of items of expenditure over £500 online, so that local electors know how their council tax is being spent. We will continue to work with parish councils to help ensure that they can fulfil this request.

Planning Permission

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department issues on the period within which a local authority must issue a written decision notice following a strategic planning committee decision to refuse planning approval.

Bob Neill: The Department does not issue guidance on this matter. Local authorities are required to determine planning applications within the timeframes set out in Article 29 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010. For an application for major development, this is 13 weeks, in respect of any development that is not major development, 8 weeks, and in cases where the application is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, 16 weeks, or such extended period as may have been agreed in writing between the applicant and the local planning authority.
	Where a local authority fails to determine an application within the set timescales, an applicant has the right of appeal against non-determination under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Private Rented Housing

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number of rooms available in the private rented sector in shared accommodation in each  (a) region,  (b) local authority,  (c) constituency and  (d) broad rental market area; and what his estimate is the proportion of such rooms which will be offered at rents below the local housing allowance rates in 2012;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people aged 25 to 35 who live in the private rented sector but do not claim housing benefit occupy shared housing in each  (a) region,  ( b ) local authority , (c) constituency and  (d) broad rental market area;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of properties in each  (a) region,  (b) local authority,  (c) constituency and  (d) broad rental market area are shared accommodation.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the number of dwellings available in shared accommodation in the private rented sector is not available. In 2012, the local housing allowance rates will be set at the 30th percentile of rents in each broad rental market area, ensuring that 30 percent of properties, for each property size, would be affordable under the local housing allowance arrangements.

Social Rented Housing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in households in which at least one member works for at least 16 hours per week who will  (a) have their income reduced and  (b) fall below the equivalised poverty threshold of 60 per cent. of median household income as a result of his proposals on the level of rent which social landlords may charge new tenants.

Grant Shapps: We will publish more detail on the implementation of new 'affordable rent' tenure shortly. Existing social tenants will retain their existing rights and tenure. Our proposals will involve increasing the affordable housing stock, increasing opportunity and quality of life for those currently on housing waiting lists.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in social housing have registered for a transfer to smaller accommodation  (a) nationally and  (b) in each region in the latest period in which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many transfers from larger to smaller properties took place within the social housing sector in the last 12 months.

Andrew Stunell: According to the Department's HSSA local authority return, in 2008-09 local authorities made a total of 30,896 lettings to tenants who were transferring within the same LA. Of these a total of 6,830 lettings (22% of the total) involved a move to a property with fewer bedrooms than they had in their previous home.
	Equivalent figures for housing associations are not available.
	Further information on social lettings is published in the live tables at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/rentslettings/livetables/

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for households in the social rented sector seeking properties with  (a) one bedroom,  (b) two bedrooms,  (c) three bedrooms and  (d) four bedrooms or more in each (i) region and (ii) local housing authority area in the latest period in which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Supporting People Programme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to reduce the funding allocated to the Supporting People budget for local authorities by the same amount in each year of the spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Supporting People programme national allocation (England) for the current financial year and each year of the spending review are:
	
		
			  Supporting People 
			   £ million 
			 2010-11 1,636.00 
			 2011-12 1,625.00 
			 2012-13 1,620.00 
			 2013-14 1,620.00 
			 2014-15 1,590.21 
		
	
	Individual local authority allocations will form part of the local government announcement to be made in December.

Supporting People Programme: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the change in the Supporting People budget for Brighton and Hove City Council in each year of the spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Individual local authority Supporting People programme allocations will form part of the local government announcement to be made in December.

DEFENCE

Nuclear Missile Sharing

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the position set out in the December 2006 exchange of letters between the then Prime Minister and the President of the United States on nuclear missile sharing to take account of the current economic climate.

Liam Fox: We continue to believe that the arrangements outlined in the December 2006 exchange of letters between the then Prime Minister and President of the United States represents excellent value for money for the United Kingdom. Therefore we believe that, especially in the current economic climate, it makes sense to continue cooperation with the US through the auspices of the Polaris Sales Agreement and Mutual Defence Agreement.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department plans to spend on operations in Afghanistan in each of the next four years.

Liam Fox: The Government will fully fund the net additional costs of military operations in Afghanistan from the Government reserve. For the spending review period years, the special reserve has been forecast at £4 billion, £3.8 billion, £3.8 billion and £3.5 billion.
	The specific costs of operations in Afghanistan at any time, will be dependent on a range of factors including the nature of the mission, the size of the deployed force, the operational tempo, and the level of spend on urgent operational requirements. The precise spend is, therefore, difficult to predict at any given range. Accordingly, the Department requests resources from Parliament on an annual basis, through the supply estimates process, using updated forecasts in each financial year.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of each type of Royal Air Force combat aircraft are deployed in Afghanistan.

Nick Harvey: There are currently 10 UK Tornado GR4 aircraft deployed in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Royal Air Force command structure is on the ground in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: There are two UK Expeditionary Air Wings deployed in Afghanistan, one at Camp Bastion and the other at Kandahar Airfield. These report to the UK's Air Component Commander based in Al Udeid, Qatar.

Air Force: Deployment

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions Royal Air Force fighters were scrambled from each base to intercept aircraft in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: Royal Air Force Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft have launched on 13 separate days between 1 November 2009 and 31 October 2010.
	QRA aircraft are held at ground readiness at RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars. I am withholding the information as to which base QRA aircraft were launched from for each incident as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Aircraft Carriers

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of his proposed modifications to aircraft carrier catapult-launch and arresting-gear operations.

Peter Luff: As announced on 19 October 2010, we plan to deliver the carrier strike capability from around 2020 with the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and Queen Elizabeth class carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear to enhance the capability of UK carrier strike. We are investigating the optimum means of achieving this outcome, working with industry and our international partners. No decisions have been taken as to the type of system, delivery dates or procurement route, or whether both carriers will be converted. Until this work is complete, it is too early to provide an accurate estimate of the cost.

Aircraft Carriers

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the correspondence address is of each supplier of  (a) equipment,  (b) personnel,  (c) parts and  (d) assembly facilities for the aircraft carrier project; and how many such suppliers there are in each (i) Government office region, (ii) local authority area and (iii) parliamentary constituency.

Peter Luff: I will place the available information in the Library of the House in respect of the members of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and the sub-contractors supporting the build of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the deployability ratios for  (a) the Royal Marine Commando and  (b) the Army infantry are.

Nick Harvey: The information is not held in the format requested.
	The following table indicates what proportion of Royal Marine Commandos and Army Infantry were medically fully deployable, medically limited deployable, or medically not deployable as at 1 September 2010.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Royal Marine Commando  Infantry 
			 Medically Fully Deployable 87.8 82.6 
			 Medically Limited Deployable 6.4 10.2 
			 Medically Not Deployable 5.9 7.2 
			  Notes: 1. Royal Marine Commando has been defined as all trained regular Royal Marines excluding Royal Marines Band. 2. The figures are for trained Regular Forces only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, TA and all other Reserves. 
		
	
	Other factors may lead to an individual being unable to deploy at any given time, such as absence on a training course. Data relating to such additional reasons are not held centrally and could only be determined by conducting a manual search of records on multiple sites.

Armed Forces: Disability Living Allowance

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason injured personnel assessed by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency are required to undergo assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions in order to claim disability living allowance.

Andrew Robathan: The War Pension Scheme (WPS) administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides no-fault compensation to all former service personnel where illness, injury or death is caused by service before 6 April 2005. Where there is an entitlement to supplementary allowances under this scheme these are paid by the MOD. However, a pensioner cannot receive these allowances at the same time as receiving benefits for the same condition(s) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). For example, a pensioner in receipt of War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) cannot also receive the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) from the DWP.

Armed Forces: Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of each type of living accommodation are available at  (a) RAF Marham and  (b) RAF Lossiemouth; and what the rate of occupancy of each type is.

Andrew Robathan: At RAF Marham there are 641 service family accommodation (SFA) properties, of which 584 are currently occupied, and 1,195 single living accommodation (SLA) bedspaces of which 1,162 are occupied.
	At RAF Lossiemouth there are 175 SFA, of which 165 are occupied and 862 SLA of which 853 are occupied. Some families based at Lossiemouth may also reside in SFA at Elgin.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the 17,000 reduction in Armed Forces personnel he expects to be achieved through redundancy.

Andrew Robathan: Every opportunity will be taken to reduce manpower through natural wastage and reduced intake. Where this cannot be achieved a targeted redundancy programme will go ahead.

Army: Reorganisation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means he plans to reform the structure of the Army without altering the structure of infantry battalions; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Strategic Defence and Security Review has determined that the Army should be restructured into five multi-role brigades (MRBs) designed to make the Army more flexible. This restructuring will take place alongside measures to reduce the size of the Army by approximately 7,000 by 2015. Detailed planning to determine exactly how and when this restructuring will be done is now under way. All infantry battalions will be incorporated into the new Army structure, while the reductions in personnel will be found from administrative and supporting elements such as headquarters staff and some combat support and combat service support force elements. Infantry battalions will not operate exclusively under the MRB structure, as they are routinely attributed to other military tasks.

Astute Class Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each boat in the Astute-class submarine flotilla will enter service; what stage of production has been reached in respect of each boat which has been ordered; and when he expects each of the remaining boats to be ordered.

Peter Luff: On 19 October 2010, the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) (Cm7948) confirmed the Department's intention to purchase seven Astute class submarines. Since 1997, contracts have been awarded that relate to six Astute submarines. Boats 1 to 3 were ordered as one batch and subsequent orders for Boats 4 to 6 have followed the previous Government's policy of incremental approval.
	The First of Class, HMS Astute, was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 27 August 2010 and is currently undertaking a period of extensive sea trials before she is handed over to the Royal Navy for operational service. Production of Boats 2 to 5 continues at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions' shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, and earlier this year long lead items for Boat 6 were ordered.
	As part of the SDSR, which included a commitment to build a seventh boat, the Department also detailed its intention to work with British industry to improve efficiency and optimise to expected demand its capacity to build and support submarines. The outcome of this work will inform the future contracting milestones and in-service dates for the Astute class of submarines. It will not be possible to confirm this information until it has been approved through the Department's and HM Treasury's formal investment approvals process.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military bases in the UK  (a) form part of and  (b) provide support services for the US Missile Defense System; what support for the system is provided in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The UK provides support to the US Ballistic Missile Defense system by sharing radar early warning information from RAF Fylingdales and by allowing the US to use a ground station at RAF Menwith Hill to receive satellite early warning information. This information is routed into the US Ballistic Missile Defense command and control system.

Challenger Tanks

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the remaining Challenger 2 tanks will be based after 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 Following the strategic defence and security review's conclusion that the Army should reduce the number of Challenger 2 tanks, detailed work on planning and implementation has now begun. This will determine where the Army's Challenger 2 tanks will be based after 2015. Factors likely to affect this work will include the Army's accelerated withdrawal from Germany, revised fleet management options and training requirements, and ongoing work on the future of the Defence estate.

Clyde Naval Base

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) service personnel,  (b) civilian staff directly employed by his Department and  (c) civilian staff employed by contractors who (i) are based at HMNB Clyde and (ii) will be based at HMNB Clyde after it becomes the base for all Royal Navy submarines.

Peter Luff: holding answer 2 November 2010
	Approximately 3,300 military personnel and 1,390 Ministry of Defence civilians are employed at Faslane and Coulport, the two main sites at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. In addition there are some 1,600 civilians employed by contractors.
	The Government are committed to the Maritime Change Programme, which will make HMNB Clyde the main operating base for all classes of submarine. We are now assessing the impact of these changes across Defence, including personnel, accommodation, support and infrastructure.

Defence: Finance

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty, Cm 7948, page 15, to which projects the £38 billion of unfunded liabilities relate.

Liam Fox: The £38 billion figure refers to the estimated difference between the cost of the Defence programme and the Ministry of Defence budget under an assumed flat real settlement over the 10 years 2011-12 to 2020-21, prior to the outcomes of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The figure is based on a number of assumptions, including inflation, fuel prices, foreign exchange rates and armed forces pay awards, and has the potential, therefore, to change over time.
	
		
			   Unfunded liability over 10 years (£ billion) 
			 Equipment procurement and support 20.5 
			 Other pressures(1) 17.7 
			 Total 38.2 
			 (1) Of which service manpower costs above inflation are £4.4 billion

Departmental Contracts

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contracts his Department has renegotiated since May 2010; and which contracts it plans to renegotiate following the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department plans to renegotiate; and with which companies he has begun contract negotiations.

Peter Luff: At any one time the Ministry of Defence has many thousands of extant contracts. These are not centrally managed. However, during the period from May to October 2010 a number of contracts will have been renegotiated as part of routine MOD business.
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) set out the capabilities the armed forces require now and in the future. As a consequence, changes are required to a number of our equipment and support programmes.
	The MOD will now start to engage its suppliers in commercial renegotiations to implement the major changes that were announced in the SDSR. We have identified over 600 contracts that are likely to be renegotiated in this phase of work. At this initial stage we are unable to provide detail on precise contracts and the impact of these renegotiations on defence and associated industries.
	In parallel, the MOD will also be renegotiating some private finance initiative contracts; implementing pan-government efficiency reform initiatives; introducing an improved way of managing our estates through Next Generation Estates Contracts (NGEC); and seeking short-term and structural cost reductions. Prior to the SDSR, the MOD held a series of sessions with key suppliers inviting them to offer innovative cost-effective solutions to providing current and future defence capabilities. MOD officials saw 17 major companies, including the MOD's top 10 suppliers, and received more than 100 proposals which could yet yield potentially significant savings. All of the proposals require further detailed work on legal, financial and commercial issues.
	The MOD is also in discussion with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to review the Government Profit Formula and its Associated Arrangements (the so-called "Yellow Book"). This review will start early in the new year and is expected to last for 18 months.
	The renegotiation process is being led by a steering group comprising senior members of the MOD, meeting twice a week to ensure efficiencies are delivered as planned. The steering group will report to a Whitehall Liaison Group to ensure cross-Government coherence.

Departmental Manpower

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) military and  (b) civilian personnel in (i) his Department and (ii) each of the armed services are employed at each rank or grade in each (A) Government office region, (B) local authority area and (C) parliamentary constituency.

Andrew Robathan: Details of the number and location of military personnel broken down by Service, county, unitary authority and local authority area are available on the following website:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index. php?page=48&pubType=0&thiscontent=100&PublishTime= 09:30:00&date=2010-08-26&disText=01% 20Jul%202010&from=listing&topDate=2010-08-26
	I will place a copy in the Library of the House.
	Details of civilian personnel numbers and location is produced for the Department as Civilian Personnel Statistics 06-MOD Civilian Personnel by global and UK locations, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
	Residential address information for both civilian and military personnel is not held with reference to parliamentary constituency. Information on rank or grade is not held in the format requested.

Departmental Redundancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of  (a) 5,000 redundancies from the Royal Navy,  (b) 7,000 redundancies from the Army,  (c) 5,000 redundancies from the Royal Air Force and  (d) 25,000 redundancies from the civilian staff of his Department.

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the Comprehensive Spending Review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Andrew Robathan: As far as possible, the Ministry of Defence will achieve the reductions announced in the spending review and the Strategic Defence and Security Review through natural wastage. Where this is not possible, early release/redundancy schemes will be put in place.
	The terms of armed forces redundancy schemes are governed by Statutory Instruments. The compensation paid to civil servants on loss of office is governed by the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. This is a statutory scheme on which the Minister for the Cabinet Office announced plans for reform in July. Work is continuing to finalise the new compensation arrangements and an Amendment Scheme will be put to Parliament to effect the changes in due course.
	Until the terms for the Civilian Voluntary Early Release Scheme are known, and further detailed planning is complete on where and when the reductions will take place, it is not possible to provide robust estimates of the costs of redundancy.
	The Government do not make public the contents of departmental settlement letters.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the Comprehensive Spending Review in respect of  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence estimates that it will need to make staff reductions of some 25,000 civilian employees and 17,000 service personnel as a result of the spending review and the strategic defence and security review. The civilian reductions include a presumed transfer of posts outside of the MOD through the announced sale of the Defence Support Group and greater use of contractorisation to undertake support activities.
	As far as possible, these reductions will be achieved through natural wastage. Where this is not possible, early release/redundancy schemes will be put in place. Until further detailed planning is complete, it is not possible to provide detailed estimates of how may redundancies will be necessary. In some instances, for example where we have decided to sell or outsource the function, reductions will be achieved by the transfer of employees to the private sector.
	Staffing levels in the MOD's non-departmental public bodies are a matter for their own management.

European Fighter Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which air-launched weapons he intends to complement the Typhoon, as referred to in Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty.

Peter Luff: Typhoon will be equipped with the Paveway IV bomb from 2012. We are also exploring the future integration of the Meteor air to air missile, Brimstone and Storm Shadow air-launched weapons.

European Fighter Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of giving Typhoon an air-to-ground capability.

Peter Luff: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 The equipment cost of integrating an air-to-ground capability on Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft is £85 million. The Typhoon Future Capability Programme is planned to provide enhancements to Typhoon Tranche 2 aircraft, both in the air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. The forecast equipment cost of this programme, as published in the Major Projects Report 2010, is £489 million.

Fleet Air Arm

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to retain the fixed-wing fast-jet flying skills of the Fleet Air Arm during any period between the phasing out of Harriers and the phasing in of the Joint Strike Fighter.

Peter Luff: holding answer 3 November 2010
	We plan to regenerate a Carrier Strike capability by around 2020 based on the Queen Elizabeth class carriers and the more capable Carrier Variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in a JSF force which will be manned by Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel. We are presently putting together a detailed plan for managing the transition to the new capability. One important element of this will involve the Department working closely with industry and allies, particularly the US and France. As an example, we already have a small team of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel in the United States as part of the JSF programme, and we expect their numbers to rise steadily over the next few years.

Future Large Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many A400M aircraft he plans to procure.

Peter Luff: The UK expects to receive no fewer than 22 A400M aircraft, as published in the Major Projects Report 2010.

Harrier Aircraft

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the effect on the capability of any new aircraft carrier of any deletion of Harrier capability

Peter Luff: The strategic defence and security review is due to be announced to the House on 19 October 2010. Following its publication, I will write to the hon. Member.
	 Substantive answer from Peter Luff to the hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen), dated 3 November 2010:
	In my response to your recent Parliamentary Question (Official Report, 18 October 2010, Column 483W), I offered to write to the honourable Member after the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review to answer his question about the effect on the UK's future carrier strike capability of the (SDSR) decision to delete Harrier GR9.
	As the Prime Minister announced to the House, we have decided to retire the Harrier, which has served this country well for 40 years. Although the Harrier is a flexible and capable aircraft, against the background of the severe financial pressures the nation faces, we have concluded that we should sustain the Tornado fleet which is currently supporting operations in Afghanistan, rather than the Harrier. This was a very difficult decision, not least because of its impact on those who have dedicated their lives to flying and supporting the Harrier and those who depend on the programme for their livelihoods. We accept there will be a gap in carrier strike capability until the end of the decade, but judge that in the longer term we cannot assume that bases for land-based aircraft will be available when and where we need them.
	The SDSR confirmed that we will build both of the carriers, but that we only expect to operate one of them at any time, with the second ship being held in extended readiness. We also intend to maximise the carrier's effectiveness by adapting it to operate the more capable Carrier Variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, which will require the installation of catapults and arrestor gear. This will also provide greater interoperability with key allies, such as the US and France. We are now investigating the optimum means of delivering this outcome.
	I have asked for a copy of this letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Harrier Aircraft

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to retrain Harrier jump jet pilots once the Harrier fleet is retired.

Nick Harvey: In the strategic defence and security review, it was announced that the Harrier fleet will be retired by 1 April 2011. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force are currently planning for the re-employment of Harrier pilots to fly other aircraft types. The requirement for re-training will be assessed once the plans for re-employment are completed.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on his Department's decision not to purchase the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the F35 aircraft.

Peter Luff: The Secretary of State for Defence and the Defence Ministerial Team regularly engage with their US counterparts on a range of issues. Recent discussions have included the Strategic Defence and Security Review and our decision to purchase the more capable carrier-variant of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake a feasibility study of purchasing a quantity of fast-jet aircraft off-the-shelf from existing US stocks of low-cost, carrier-capable aircraft.

Peter Luff: holding answer 3 November 2010
	A previous study, which included a comparison with a US in-service, carrier-capable aircraft, concluded that the Joint Strike Fighter provided the best value for money in light of our future capability requirements. The Strategic Defence and Security Review reaffirmed our commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter programme. We will keep our plans under review as a part of our routine planning.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fewer Tornado GR4 Force and F-35 aircraft he now plans to purchase.

Peter Luff: The Strategic Defence and Security Review announced our plans for our fast jet fleet. Prior to the review there were no plans for further purchases of Tornado GR4 aircraft and this position has not changed. We intend to buy enough Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to build up our carrier strike capability, and to operate a balanced fleet of JSF and Typhoon aircraft in the medium to long term. We will confirm the exact number of JSF aircraft in our initial buy at the time of our main investment decision, in line with usual practice.

Military Aircraft: Sonar

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's aircraft can deploy sonar buoys; and what the  (a) ferry range and  (b) combat radius of each such aircraft is.

Peter Luff: The only aircraft capable of deploying sonobuoys (sonar buoys) is the Royal Navy's Merlin HM Mkl helicopter. There are currently 26 Merlin HM Mkl in the forward fleet. To release information on the aircraft's combat and ferry ranges would allow an assessment to be made of the operational capability of the fleet and its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Navy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current tasks are of the Royal Navy.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Navy undertakes a wide variety of tasks and activities around the globe. These include:
	 Op Telic
	Maintenance of integrity and security of Iraqi Territorial Seas.
	 Op Calash
	Counter Piracy and counter smuggling operations within the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and North Indian Ocean.
	 Ocean Shield NATO
	Counter Piracy and counter smuggling operations within the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and North Indian Ocean.
	 NATO Standing NATO Maritime Group 1
	A continuous maritime capability for mine-countermeasures integration within NATO response force (NRF) operations, non NRF operations and other activities in peacetime and periods of crisis and conflict.
	 Gibraltar Sqn
	Security of Gibraltar Territorial Seas.
	 Atlantic Patrol Task (North)
	(Hurricane season only)-UK's maritime contribution to the Caribbean and North Atlantic area. Protection of UK interests, humanitarian role in response to the natural disasters, especially hurricanes, which are prevalent in this region. Additionally working alongside the US Coastguard and the Royal Netherlands Navy: a significant contribution to the UK's counter drugs operations.
	 Atlantic Patrol Task (South)
	The standing naval commitment to the South Atlantic and West African regions. Provide a maritime presence to protect the British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and UK's interests in the region.
	 Falkland Islands Patrol Ship
	Permanently stationed in the region, responsible for maintaining British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
	 Ice Patrol Ship
	Antarctic patrol ship during austral summer.
	 UK Nuclear Deterrent Patrols and Contingency Operations
	Maritime Security Royal Navy and Royal Marine units at readiness to react to any possible threat to the integrity of UK Territorial Seas and security of the UK.
	 Fishery Protection
	Patrolling UK's extended Fisheries Zone.
	The Royal Navy has also two teams which provide search and rescue facilities and 3 Commando Brigade RM are in preparation for Op Herrick 14.

Navy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely cost to his Department of  (a) decommissioning HMS Ark Royal,  (b) reducing by four the number of frigates,  (c) placing at extended readiness a landing and command ship and  (d) decommissioning either HMS Ocean or HMS Illustrious.

Peter Luff: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 Detailed work to estimate the costs of decommissioning these vessels, or placing them at extended readiness, is ongoing and will be completed during the Department's planning round process, and as part of the study to consider which of HMS Ocean and Illustrious will be retained in service.

Navy: Military Bases

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of jobs at HMNB  (a) Portsmouth and  (b) Devonport of the proposed reduction in the strength of the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 October 2010,  Official Report, column 377W, to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Gemma Doyle).

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the level of aerial anti-shipping defence of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A project;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of his Department's contractual obligations to BAE Systems of the cancelling of the Nimrod MRA4 programme;
	(3)  what assets are deployed in the aerial anti-submarine role;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the level of aerial anti-submarine defence of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A project;
	(5)  what plans he has for NATO allies to provide aerial anti-submarine patrolling within UK territorial waters;
	(6)  what type of avionic suites were purchased for the Nimrod MR4A; how many such suites were purchased; and at what cost to the public purse.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what expenditure his Department expects to incur in withdrawing the Nimrod MRA4 from service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the protection of overseas territories of the withdrawal from service of the Nimrod MRA4;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the protection of the independent Strategic Nuclear Deterrent of the withdrawal from service of the Nimrod MRA4;
	(4)  what assets he expects to fill the capability gap left by the withdrawal from service of the Nimrod MRA4.

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the Royal Air Force's future anti-submarine capability following the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4.

Peter Luff: holding answer 3 November 2010
	I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 450-51W to the hon. Members for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and North Durham (Mr Jones).

Nimrod Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first contract to procure the Nimrod MRA4 was signed; and what initial estimate his Department made of the cost of the Nimrod MRA4 project.

Peter Luff: The contract for the design, development and production of the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft was signed in December 1996 and annually reviewed as part of subsequent planning rounds. The initial approved cost of the demonstration and manufacture phases of the project at Main Gate was £2.813 billion, as reported in the Major Projects Report 2010.

Nuclear Submarines: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of repairs to HMS Vanguard as a result of its collision with Le Triomphant in February 2009.

Liam Fox: Following her collision with FS Le Triomphant in early 2009 repairs to HMS Vanguard were carried out on her return to Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde under existing support arrangements with Babcock Marine. The cost of these repairs was approximately £1 million.

RAF Kinloss: Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision on the future of the Mountain Rescue Service at RAF Kinloss.

Nick Harvey: Work is now under way to consider the implications of decisions announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review for UK military bases, including the future of the Mountain Rescue Service at RAF Kinloss.

RAF Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department owns the buildings and other infrastructure on the American base at RAF Menwith Hill.

Nick Harvey: All buildings, fixed assets and site and infrastructure at RAF Menwith Hill are owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Rosyth Dockyard: Radiation Exposure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the radiation protection measures at the Rosyth Royal Dockyard since radioactive contamination was found in the personal lockers of workers at the dockyard; and what recent changes have been made to health protection measures for employees at that dockyard.

Peter Luff: All nuclear safety matters relating to Rosyth Royal Dockyard are a matter for Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd, the owners of the dockyard. It is a condition of their contract with the Ministry of Defence that they must comply with all nuclear safety regulations including the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what forecast he has made of manning levels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each of the next five years;
	(2)  how many people were employed in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at the latest date for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: holding answer 2 November 2010
	At 1 October 2010, around 2,370 people were employed in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The future size of the RFA and future RFA manning levels are likely to be affected by the reductions in the size of the surface fleet announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the RFA value for money review. The details have yet to be fully determined and will be announced in due course.

Sea King Helicopters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timetable he has set for the Westland Sea King HAR3 helicopters to be taken out of service.

Peter Luff: It is planned that all Sea King Mk3/3a helicopters will be withdrawn from service by the end of 2016.

Submarines: Finance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the lifetime costs of the Future Submarine Programme.

Liam Fox: The Value for Money Review concluded that the overall cost of the submarine and warhead replacement programmes and associated infrastructure remains within the £20 billion cost estimate foreseen in the 2006 White Paper (Cm6994) at 2006 prices.
	As the White Paper also makes clear, once the new fleet of ballistic missile submarines come into service we expect that the in-service costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent, which will include the Atomic Weapons Establishment's costs, will be similar to today.

Submarines: Finance

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to enter into contractual arrangements for long-lead items on the Future Submarine Programme; what estimate he has made of the total cost of such items; what assessment he has made of the capability of such arrangements with arrangements for review by Parliament of all options of Main Gate, including cancellation; and what consideration he has given to ensuring that cancellation fees for long-lead item contracts do not restrict the consideration of alternatives.

Peter Luff: Contractual arrangements for long lead items for both the submarine platform and propulsion systems will be entered into as necessary during the programme's assessment phase to prevent unnecessary delays to the programme. Final decisions on the long lead items required during the assessment phase will be made as part of, and following, the initial gate approvals process. It is too early to state the costs of these items.
	Long lead items are those that it is necessary to contract for ahead of the main gate decision point. The procurement of long lead items across Ministry of Defence projects does not constrain main gate decisions and any such early commitment takes into account the balance of risk of a project not securing main gate approval.

Territorial Army: Finance

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of cost savings required of the Territorial Army in the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 The strategic defence and security review and spending review settlement are not predicated on any assumed savings against the Territorial Army. The six month study into the reserves will examine whether they are properly structured to enable the Ministry of Defence to make the most efficient use of their skills, experience and capabilities in the modern era. It is too early to assess whether any cost savings will result from the study.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he was first informed that Trident would be included in the Strategic Defence and Security Review; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: holding answer 3 November 2010
	 The Government made clear that they were committed to retaining a nuclear deterrent based on Trident, so the decision did not need to be revisited in the strategic defence and security review. However, the Ministry of Defence has been very clear that the value for money review was conducted within the framework of the strategic defence and security review.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice from the military he received, and on what date, recommending postponing the main gate decision for the Trident successor system until 2016.

Liam Fox: holding answer 3 November 2010
	 The senior Ministry of Defence officials, military and civilian, responsible for leading the Successor ballistic missile submarine programme were and are content that 2016 is a realistic date at which to take the Main Gate decision, given a 2028 in-service date for the first of the new submarines. This was reflected in advice approved by the National Security Council, which includes myself and the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Trident

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the cost to his Department of the UK's contribution to the Trident D5 missile life extension programme; what contingency arrangements he has put in place to provide for budget overspends on the programme; and what level of overspend those arrangements allow for.

Liam Fox: It is currently estimated that the cost of the UK's participation in the Trident D5 missile life extension programme will remain within the £250 million figure stated in the December 2006 White Paper, "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994).
	There are no specific contingency arrangements for budgetary overspends aside from the existing departmental project approvals and budgetary planning processes.

Trident

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wyre and Preston North of 22 October 2010,  Official Report, column 883W, on Trident, what the three additional Long Overhaul Periods will be for each submarine; and what proportion of the estimated £1.3 billion cost will fall  (a) in the current period up to 2014-15 and  (b) the period 2015-16 to 2020-21.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the Strategic Defence and Security Review for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. Furthermore, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of alternative systems to Trident to provide the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Trident value for money review did not look at alternatives to a submarine-launched ballistic-missile system.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on the design of the Future Surface Combatant; and whether the programme will incorporate modules that enable the subsequent incorporation of additional weapons systems.

Peter Luff: The Type 26 Global Combat Ship project entered its Assessment Phase in March 2010, and a four-year contract was placed with BAE Systems Surface Ships to work with the Ministry of Defence to produce a full design specification to be taken into the demonstration and build phases.
	The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is adopting a through-life capability management approach, which will plan the evolution of the combat and weapons systems through the life of the vessel. The design intent is to have a combat system that will be flexible to future change and which would enable the addition of alternative/new systems or modules during the life of the platform; this approach will also enhance the export potential for this class of ship.